Oklahoma Wrecker Owners Association

P O Box 25604, OKC, OK 73125 - (405) 319-1724 www.Okwoa.org

December, 2000 Newsletter

Dear Fellow Wrecker Owners:

Happy Holidays! I want to wish a wonderful Holiday Season to everyone. This is not only the happiest time of the year but also the busiest. It is hard to find a place to have a meeting since so many organizations and clubs are having Christmas meetings and parties. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to get things done. It is also the most hectic for wrecker owners as the roads are so crowded with shoppers and travelers.

This is the non-member letter. It does cause some problems in sorting and does delay mailing some but it seems to make the membership feel they are getting their money's worth. We found out that it can take up to 2 weeks to have bulk mail delivered. Thanksgiving kind of messed up our schedule this month. Some wrecker owners received the last letter 12 days before the meeting. Other received them the day after the meeting. I am afraid this month's will be late due to Christmas mail.

Again, dues we now pay go to pay our lobbyists for all their hard work. It used to be that we not only paid dues but we also had to chip in to pay for a lobbyist. We now know that it is very important that we have a presence at the Capitol every year and make sure we don't have any surprises like we have in the past. I hope you will decide that your future in the wrecker industry is important enough to join and take part in the determining of your future.

We have made a difference and will continue to make improvement in our industry. We are also in contact with other towing and storage associations and able to get ideas from them and pass ours on to their associations.

This coming year the membership will try to pass legislation that will help us collect wrecker fees from insurance companies that attempt to abandon salvage on us. I have requested this from the lobbyists. We also plan to add some language that will help law enforcement officers regulate 93not for hire94 wreckers. There isn't any language that will allow a non-licensed wrecker to be stopped and checked at this time. We will also be on the look out for other legislation that may be introduced for our industry. I expect the credit union lobbyists to launch another 93notify the lien holder94 bills. The insurance industry may also try to change some things.

Certification Testing

The OWOA is now able to perform TRAA Certification testing. We have the study manuals and are preparing a group for testing in Class 1 and 2. We had 3 members get certified at the Texas Tow Show. If you would like to become TRAA Certified, please contact Jim Wilson at Jim's Truck Center in Cushing (918 225-1013). Jim has the Study Manuals and will take care of getting the information to you.

Last Meeting

At our last meeting in Tulsa we had a program from At Road. They demonstrated how the global positioning system (GPS) can be used in the wrecker industry to track your vehicles 24 hours per day and have a record on the Internet of the past two weeks driving. It not only lists the location every 15 minutes (or more often if you choose) but also the speed of the wrecker. It can even record when the PTO is turned on and off, thereby listing when a tow is being made. Which should indicate when an invoice is being written. If anyone is interested you may contact one of the sales reps. In the Tulsa area contact Bill Aycock at (918) 664-0980. In the OKC area contact Tracy Clair at (405) 341-6374. On the Internet, the web site is www.atroad.com . I wonder how this would work for family teenage drivers?

I want to thank Harold Baker of Storey Wrecker in Tulsa for setting up the meeting. I also wish to thank Steve Brown, owner of Tulsa Independent Tool Supply for donating a door prize for the meeting. You may contact Steve for all your tool needs at (918) 437-3376 or his mobile number is (918) 636-6900.

Dues Information

Just to settle rumors. Dues paid are for a 12 consecutive month period. Dues are not for a specific year only. If you pay dues in December, 2000 the membership is good thru November, 2001. If you pay in February, 2001 the membership is good thru January, 2002. It doesn't matter when you join, it is for a 12 month period.

Also, the dues amount depends on how many wreckers you have up to 4 wreckers. If you have one wrecker dues are $160.00. If you have 2 wreckers dues are $180.00. Three wrecker is $200.00. The maximum dues are for 4 wreckers which are $220.00. No matter how many wreckers you have, $220.00 is the maximum dues.

Payments are acceptable for dues. Payments are accepted for any amount - for as many payments as you wish (up to 12 payments). If you have one wrecker and wish to join, you may make 12 payments for $13.33 each. For the increase in ONE hook-up per month (obtained by the OWOA) you can be a member and make monthly payments. How can you NOT afford to be a member. Is there any other organization (or person) that has done more for you than the OWOA? And this is only the beginning. We have lots of plans.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting will be in January on the second Tuesday of the Month (our meetings are always on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month). We will probably be in Krebs at Pete's Place, located on Highway 270 East. They have some of the best Italian food on the planet. I am looking forward to it. If you would like to have a meeting in your area, please give me a call. You may check always check for the location of the next meeting on our web site. The web site is www.okwoa.org.