OKLAHOMA WRECKER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
300 SW 29TH
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73109-6793
(405) 319-1724
3rd Quarter 2004
DEAR FELLOW Wrecker Owners:
I hope this newsletter finds you well and very busy. The members have had a good session at the Capitol and we are very pleased with our results. There are a few things we were able to attain to make it advantageous to be a member. This was a tough session and we feel very lucky to achieve what we did. We hope you will decide to join us and become one of the wrecker operators that takes an interest in the advancement of our industry. Please consider joining us in our efforts to improve our industry and allow us to help provide for our families and employees. The more members we have, the larger the impact at the Capitol.
Just so you will know. One of the biggest conflicts we had was that the insurers wanted to be notified of vehicles towed and stored and were willing to help us get the information from the Tax Commission. But then, we would be required to notify the insurance companies of the vehicles location within a certain time period. While we cannot get this information at this time, it appears the insurance companies want this and will probably introduce a bill to add this burden to wrecker operators. We can only hope to be able to muster enough support from legislators to make sure they understand that this isn’t as easy as it sounds. We need to make sure our voice is heard. The more members we have, the better this works.
The legislators have no idea how difficult it is to comply with proving you mailed a letter of notification to anyone without a long trip to the Post Office to make sure you can prove you did comply with the law. We need to make sure we are strong enough and have enough members to make sure our concerns are addressed next year during the legislative session. I promise you this is one item that I am sure the insurers will be attacking next year. If you want to be sure your ideas are represented - if you want to save yourself money and time in a court room, or if you want to keep from returning towed vehicles to insurers for free then be sure to join the OWOA to make sure you can contact your legislator to let them know your concerns with the ideas of insurers. It’s obvious the insurers have no idea what is possible and what is real and may pass legislation that is totally unreasonable. We will make sure the OWOA members are protected and it’s possible that legislation is passed that may not be beneficial to individual companies. Please join us to make the OWOA stronger for us and stronger for our industry, or fight your battles alone. Remember, the more members we have the stronger our voice is. It’s your choice.
WHY JOIN THE OWOA?
There is another advantage to being a member besides having a voice at the Capitol. You may feel all alone in this business and that every other wrecker operator is out to steal your calls and put you out of business. You have customers claiming you have taken their property and that your rates are too high. They personally know the wrecker operator down the street and he has never charged such high fees. A local law enforcement officer says you are too slow, your equipment is outdated and you don’t know what you are doing on a wrecker call and he is going to take you off rotation permanently. You have towed a pickup towing a trailer loaded with a front end loader and all 3 items have different owners and different insurance companies and no one wants the trailer nor do they want to pay for it. You have a problem and don’t have an idea where to start to get a solution, if there is one. Does any of this sound familiar?
Did you know that every wrecker operator faces the same problems sometime in their professional career? If they haven’t faced each of these problems, they will. Wouldn’t it be great if there were someone to call to see if there was a solution or if anyone else had faced the same problem? That doesn’t mean everything that comes up will have an immediate answer. Sometimes it takes several individuals to band together to get laws changed or ask for a ruling on certain items. This is what a trade association does. We work together for the good of our industry. We try to make things fair for everyone and a level playing field.
When we have meetings we don’t just socialize, we try to solve problems and look for better ways to do our job. The reason we meet at restaurants is that we have access to a room for the price of a meal. It’s cheaper than renting a room somewhere. You aren’t required to eat at the restaurants to attend the meeting. I know some of you hate having to say your name and company at the meetings, but it is a great way to get to know other operators and ask questions face to face instead of trying to talk over the phone. You will be amazed at how much trade information and procedural information you can get for free. Some of us have worked for years and years and spent fortunes to find out something the hard way and you can get the information for next to nothing.
We have had Motor Vehicle Division title consultants and OHP Dispatchers come to our meetings so we can see what their side is like and try to find out how to make this process work better for everyone. The DPS Wrecker Services comes to most meetings to let us know what is going on and any problems they have or foresee. It helps to know what is going on around us. If you have a problem with a competitor you may be able to talk it out. You may even talk to another member from a different area that has had the same problem and found a solution. You can’t get this information any easier or cheaper. Please consider joining the OWOA. We need you.
CONDOLENCES TO TOM HALL
Almost every wrecker operator in Oklahoma has met or knows of Tom Hall and Marcus Hall from Oklahoma Wrecker Sales in OKC. Tom’s wife, Leah Hall, passed away in June. She fought a valiant battle with cancer but it finally took its toll again. Our prayers and sympathy go out to Tom and Marcus as they battle with this loss.
DPS Administrative Rules to make an appearance soon
The results of the DPS Rules meeting should be making its way to a new “Regulation manual” for wrecker owners. These new items have already been covered for members and hopefully the changes suggested by the OWOA members at the meeting will make it into law. The membership should be prepared for all changes coming in the “Reg Manual” being prepared. I am not sure what day the new “reg manual” will be mailed but it will have lots of new stuff in it.
And talk about changes. The DPS Wrecker Services has a Trooper assigned to their office now. This is in addition to S. T. Bolding and Ed Burr. The Trooper has the ability to stop (pull over) vehicles and his objective is wreckers. Not only does he look for illegal wreckers but also for violations of licensed wreckers. This is what licensed wreckers have been wanting for years. Many unlicensed wreckers in Oklahoma City now have “not for hire” on the sides of the vehicle. Word travels fast. We hopefully can use our collective “OWOA” voice to convince our legislators that the Trooper needs some additional help. If you want to know what telltale sign the Trooper looks for to determine if a wrecker is in compliance, join up and read the members newsletter.
TOWING & RECOVERY CLASSES IN OKC
Our Towing & Recovery Classes were a big hit. The attendance was down from last year but that improved the one-on-one training and education the students received. Tom Luciano was again at his best and taught the class from the TRAA Certification Study Guides along with extra hand outs to make the class not only educational but also informative to the point of the TRAA Test booklet. We had several booklets to pass out and while many attendees haven’t received the results of the TRAA Certification test, they did have a greater knowledge of how a wrecker works and how it can be used and how to think things out to a safe and profitable conclusion. We had 17 wrecker operators take Level One testing and 5 Level Two tests. We had the highest pass rate we have ever had. You should have been there.
In OKC, Channel 5 News (KOCO-TV) came to our recovery site near 15th & South Meridian in OKC to film a news story and a 10 PM live newscast. They explained how the training Saturday was to extricate a “body” (dummy) from a vehicle trapped under an overturned tanker truck. That was a “fun” recovery and gave the students a chance to see how to best perform a “tricky” recovery. We also rescued a garbage truck from the river bank at the class site and a cement mixer. If you have ever tried to recover a cement mixer on soft ground and didn’t have great success, this class was for you. If we were going to make a mistake, this was the place and time to do it, while no one or nothing was at risk. This is the best way to learn. There are a few photos of the school on our website if you want to take a look (www.okwoa.org).
Talk about ‘hands on”, it was very impressive. We couldn’t have performed this class without the help of the administrators of the OKC Fire & Rescue/Recovery unit that allowed us to use their facility for the week before Mother’s day. We want to apologize to all Mother’s that suffered due to the class for the wrecker operators, but we are ecstatic that the class performed admirably and learned how to handle difficult situations. Dewey Farrington outdid himself with difficult recoveries and we should applaud him for his devious but realistic recoveries. Thanks Dewey for educating your competitors to make sure they perform at a professional level with safety and confidence. You are “One of a Kind” and I am forever grateful for your unselfish nature to help others to recover vehicles more safely and profitably.
I hate to keep bringing it up but when I was attending the TRAA National Conference and Leadership Training session in Washington DC that last March it was painfully obvious that the “Feds” (and local regulatory authority) want a certification program and training for wrecker operators and that requirement will probably become law within the next 3 or 4 years and maybe sooner. It’s imperative that wrecker operators be active in the decision process and make sure our needs and concerns are met as to the required training and certification process. If you think this is going away you are wrong. Did you think insurance would ever reach the price it is? How about fuel prices? Did you ever think you would pay almost $2.00 per gallon in your lifetime and be grateful it wasn’t $2.09 cents per gallon? Don’t hide your head in the sand and hope it will go away, it won’t. Get involved and help make changes to make it realistic and useable. We want to make sure we can live with the changes and only by monitoring the government and being present will we get to have input.
Forewarned is foretold, changes are coming our way faster than we can even believe. We must be ready or we will not survive. We must be there for success to our industry and the way we live in America. I hope you believe the same as I do.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
This election year is going to have more replacement legislators than ever before due to term limits. Some of the legislators that are forced to leave are our best allies. When someone calls or visits you and says they are running for office, ask them how they feel about small business, insurance companies, wreckers, and anything else that is important to you. It could even be taxes, cock fighting, workers compensation or whatever. I will try to come up with a guideline of a few questions for the next newsletter. Now is the time to start building good relationships with new legislators if the incumbent is being removed by term limits. You don’t necessarily have to give donations of money, it could be putting up signs, making calls to friends and relatives for support, allowing signs at your home and business that show you support them. If you decide to donate money, it doesn’t need to be huge amounts. It can be $50.00, $75.00, $100.00, $200.00 or any amount that you can give to help them (checks, no cash). All of the Representatives will be running for office (2 year terms for all). Senators run for 4-year terms and they alternate between odd and even number districts. So half of the Senate seats (odd numbered districts) will be up for re-election, unless the legislator doesn’t draw an opponent. You may visit the Oklahoma Legislative web page for information or the Oklahoma Election Board.
REMINDER
If you received this letter you are not listed as a member of the OWOA. Your dues have expired or you were never a member. Please consider this a special invitation to join our ranks and become a member of the OWOA and prove your dedication to our industry. I know times have been hard and it’s not easy to come up with the dues amount in one lump sum. Fuel prices are soaring to new heights and insurance premiums have doubled and tripled. We have taken steps to help offset these fee increases and now we need help supporting our lobbyists. Please consider becoming a member.
We do take payments and if you can’t afford $13.50 per month to be a member, perhaps you should decide on a different profession. If you prefer to not receive this newsletter, please send me a note or fax a message or call my office and I can remove you from the list. If you decide to tackle this industry on your own, lot’s of luck. The greatest advantage of being a member is that someone somewhere has been in a similar situation to what problem you are facing and may have the solution to your problem.
Here is the REMINDER. If you are not a member you may not use the OWOA logo or insinuate or suggest that you are a member of the OWOA in any form. You may not use the Logo on your wrecker, office or any paperwork. You may not use the Logo on any invoice or letterhead or uniform. You may not suggest, insinuate, lead-to-believe, or any other manner or form that you are associated, affiliated, or related to the OWOA nor do you follow any guidelines set forth by the OWOA or any member of the OWOA. To do so is against the law and the OWOA will enforce its right to protect its Logo and trademark from this day forward. Other than that, have a nice day.
NEXT MEETING – August 10th, 2004
There is no meeting in July and the next scheduled meeting should take place on August 10th.
Thanks for reading this. – Chris Puckett, President.