Road Service

As you are rolling down the highway this summer in your RV, you’ll want to know where you can get the best roadside service there is, which campgrounds roll out the welcome mat out and which restaurants are RV friendly.

The Good Sam Club is going to help you out with that.

“Every year, Good Sam Club members chose which companies roll out the red carpet—or, in this case, the welcome mat—of good customer service. It’s called the Welcome Mat Awards and for the Good Sam members it is an opportunity to express support and encouragement for companies that treated RVers right throughout 2006.

The honor goes to businesses across a wide spectrum of RV-related customer service, from fast food restaurants to campgrounds to NASCAR events. In all, there are 24 categories, which are voted on by the one million families in the Good Sam Club.

“RVing attracts families, baby boomers, retirees, tailgaters, outdoor enthusiasts and travelers of all kinds,” said Sue Bray, executive director for the Good Sam Club. “The Welcome Mat Awards are our members’ way of recognizing the people and businesses that make the life of an RVer more enjoyable.”

(source)

Here are the 2007 Welcome Mat Winners

• Fuel/Gas: Flying J
• Propane: Flying J
• Outlet mall: Tanger Outlets
• Casino: Harrah’s
• Fast Food: Wendy’s
• Ice Cream: Dairy Queen
• Sandwich Shop: Subway
• Sit Down Restaurant: Cracker Barrel
• Shopping Mall: Wal-Mart
• Dingy Vehicle: Saturn
• Tourist Attraction, Amusement: Disney World
• Golf Course: King’s North at Myrtle Beach National
• NASCAR Event: Daytona 500
• RV Show: Florida RV SuperShow
• State/Province to fish: Florida
• Good Sam Park: America’s Best Campground in Branson, Missouri
• Motor Oil: Shell Rotella
• Pet Supply: PetSmart
• Craft Store: Michaels
• RV Accessory Store: Camping World
• RV Parts Store: Camping World
• State to Visit: Florida
• Province to Visit: British Columbia
• Tow Vehicle: Ford

And should you happen to need emergency road service before you get to any of those establishments, make sure you hit the road protected with the 24 hour service of AutoRoadService.com

Having your car towed, hopefully, is not a frequent event but if you haven’t called for road service, it can be rather alarming to watch the back end of your car fading in the distance behind a tow truck. The following information was written as guidance for Florida residents, but gives you a good rule of thumb for what is myth and what is fact about what a road service tow truck operator can or can’t do with your vehicle.

Myth: If a tow truck driver sees that you are parked illegally and starts to approach your car, he or she has the right to tow it at that point.

Fact: If you reach your car before the tow truck driver has physically connected your vehicle to the tow truck, he or she cannot tow your car and cannot charge you a fee.

Myth: If you reach your car after the driver has hooked it to the tow truck, he or she has the right to take it to the towing lot.

Fact: If your car is still on the lot where you parked it, the tow truck driver must release your vehicle, provided you give him or her half of the standard towing fee on the spot. Myth: If a tow truck driver damages your car while transporting it, you have to pay to fix it.

Fact: Tow companies are liable for any damages they cause. It is illegal for a tow company to force you to sign a document waiving its liability before it gives you your car back. Property managers who have contracts with the tow companies are not liable for damages.

Myth: Apartment complexes and businesses get paid in kickbacks when you get towed.

Fact: Contracts between towing companies and property management cannot, by law, include any monetary exchange. Transfer of funds is a third-degree felony.

Myth: If you get towed late at night, the towing lot may be closed and you will have to wait until the next day to get your vehicle.

Fact: By law, all towing lots must be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. After those hours, a sign must be posted with the phone number of the towing operator. You can call that number at any time, and the operator must show up to give you back your car within one hour. If the operator doesn’t show up, he or she has committed a third-degree felony.

Myth: A tow truck driver can’t break into your car to tow it.

Fact: Legally, the driver can. But he or she has to use “reasonable care” and can only enter your vehicle for the purpose of removing it from the lot.

Myth: If it’s late at night and a business is closed, you can park there if it’s convenient and then walk to wherever you are going.

Fact: Property managers can be held liable for an accident that happens in their lot, even if it happens outside of their business hours. So if you are not a customer, they don’t want you there. Most towing companies will not hesitate to tow your vehicle 24/7.
(Source)

About the only time a person is happy to see a tow truck is when they are waiting on emergency road service. Having your car towed by mistake can be unnerving and infuriating and it has been known to happen. Having you car towed for cause can also be frustrating. The confusion that can ensue when a city employs a number of towing contractors can compound problems.

A small New England town has implemented a solution to this aspect of tow business blues.

The Challenge:
“Public administrators in a New England town had a problem: a large number of illegally parked cars — and the associated paperwork received from the town’s ten towing contractors.

The town’s supervisor of transportation considered custom mobile applications to streamline the process, but their budget could not cover the considerable costs and they didn’t want to wait months for development.

The Solution:
The town created a Portable Forms application for its towing contractors. Now, tow truck drivers use handheld devices to document each car’s license, type, color and VIN number – information the town needs to record the transaction and to reconcile against their accounts payable system.

As the towing contractors transmit the information to the town, Portable Forms sends a fax to the local police and a second fax goes to town hall. It also automatically delivers an Internet data feed. ”
(source)

Road trips create a repository of rich memories, memories that are all the more meaningful because they are tied to the land we live in. Thousands upon thousands of people choose to use their vacation time “on the road”, exploring small towns and landmarks, imagining that a mere century ago, the highways crisscrossing this country didn’t even exist.

One of America’s favorite ways to travel is by RV. It makes excellent sense to keep a “Home on Wheels Camping Journal” handy to record events, keep important paperwork and records as well as any road service expenses that you may incur.

CampingJournal.com offers the journal and a great many resources that will help the RVer prepare for any journey, long or short.

They also have many printable handy lists – similar to the one below – that you can use for departure, arrival and supplies.

RV Departure Check List

• Check tire pressure of truck & trailer
• Check oil and fluid levels in truck
• Roll up awning
• Fold up & stow the patio rug
• Stow chairs, grill, etc.
• Dump black holding tank
• Rinse black holding tank (if necessary)
• Dump gray holding tank
• Disconnect, rinse & stow sewer hose & coupler
• Unplug trailer & stow power cord, adapters & surge protector
• Unplug telephone & stow cord
• Disconnect fresh water hose
• Fill fresh water tank (if necessary)
• Drain & stow fresh water hose
• Drain & stow water filters
• Disconnect, drain & stow utility water hose
• Turn off propane
• Stow kingpin stabilizer
• Stow leveling/stabilizing gear
• Remove & stow wheel chocks
• Adjust landing gear to proper hitching height
• Check if hitch receiver is open
• Drop tailgate
• Hitch up
• Check if hitch receiver is closed
• Pull truck slightly forward to check hitch
• Raise tailgate
• hook break-away switch cable
• Plug in umbilical cord
• Check trailer lights and brakes
• Raise landing gear
• Walk around site to check for forgotten items
• Pick up and stow the door mat
• Lock outside compartments
• Stow entry steps and lock trailer
• Walk around site one last time

What makes a car “washable” and why does it matter to the consumer? Primarily, it is the savings represented by car designs that result in less corrosion. The Saturn Aura was voted the deserving recipient of International Carwash Association’s Most Washable Car 2007 .

“The honor is a critical distinction in the car care industry as research shows that nearly $24 billion a year is spent battling automobile corrosion damage. With the number of consumers keeping their cars longer, this award is an important nod to Saturn’s dedication to designing cars that are easier for car owners to maintain.”

The following criteria will get a car nominated as a “most washable car” candidate.

• Smooth aerodynamic lines that do not catch and retain dirt
• Moldings and ornamentation that do not protrude and are securely attached
• Bumpers, mirrors, wipers, etc. that are securely attached
• Radio antennas that are securely attached or are hidden in the windshield or back window glass
• Retractable side view mirrors that are robust at the pivot or mirrors that do not retract at all
• Ground affects and desk lid spoilers that are aerodynamic and securely attached or do not exist
• Windshield wipers that are concealed under the rear edge of the hood
• Rear window wipers on Sport-Utility vehicles that do not protrude
• Front license plate attachments (when required) are secure and are not susceptible to damage

(Source)

You know he is going to get lost. He doesn’t think about getting lost, and you are starting another trip without up to date maps. Not to worry. Mapquest’s “send to cell” service can provide a helpful road service from your cell. You can now get the directions from MapQuest before you leave home and send them to your cell phone. That way, once you go around the same landmark for the fourth time you can casually get your cell phone out, click a text link and your downloaded directions will get you there.

MApQuests updated services include the following:

• Users can create maps and driving directions utilizing advanced routing options (shortest time, shortest distance, avoid tolls, avoid highways), reverse directions and multi-point routing from the MapQuest.com® site, and send the complete information to their cell phone.
• They can access the 15 million points of interest, places, driving directions and business listings from the MapQuest database and deliver the results to their mobile device, with “right-sized” maps and other mapping capabilities, including pan and zoom functions.
• The service automatically detects if a user is a MapQuest® Mobile subscriber and delivers the best browsing experience.
• Users can easily access the maps and directions sent to their phones via a text message containing a URL link.

from AutoChannel.com

Beware if you are traveling in Canada. Unfortunately the road service truck hauling your car down the road might be
taking it to a freighter destined for overseas.

Giro got the bad news three hours after parking in a Montreal hotel’s garage. He noticed he had forgotten his reading glasses and went to retrieve them from his truck, a 2006 Toyota Tundra that he had just bought for about $28,000 in January.

It was gone.

“I went through the whole parking garage because I just couldn’t believe it,” Giro said.

He called police and reported the theft. Detectives told him his truck most likely would follow a common path for vehicles snagged by organized car theft rings operating in Canadian cities. It would soon be packed into a shipping container and loaded onto a freighter bound for some distant port — often in the Third World.
[..]
Northern New England residents have lost about 100 vehicles to Canadian thieves in the last 18 months, Jordan said. Many are late-model and expensive makes, with their average value about $30,000, she said.

Detective Sgt. Robert Dimatteo of the Montreal Police Department, the lead investigator in the theft of Giro’s truck, said methods used by the car-theft rings range from smashing a window and hot-wiring the engine to using a tow-truck or high-tech tools designed to defeat car alarms.”

(source)

Years ago it was not unusual to see a private citizen throw a chain around a bumper of a stalled vehicle and tow it home or to the gas station. Obviously that is no longer an option and it never was a safe one. Towing today’s various classes of vehicles requires a good deal more towing sophistication.

Today the road service industry must provide more than a simple chain. They are subject to regulations just like any industry and increasingly subject to conflicting ordinances and regulations, depending on what state they’re in.

In Albany New York they are passing a law against what they are calling “predatory towing”.

“People have complained about towing for years, and Jennings called for a review of the local law last fall. The Common Council approved the new ordinance in November and it took effect Wednesday. Tow companies are now required to release a vehicle for no fee if the owner shows up before the truck is moving.
[..]
City Police Chief James Tuffey said most complaints come from people who parked in lots they thought were public. Often, the drivers were attending special events such as Alive at Five when parking is hard to find.

The city now requires lot owners to clearly mark their lots and tow companies to call the police before they tow there. Also, tow companies must obtain prior approval from the police department to remove vehicles from private lots near major city events. That way the lots can be inspected for proper signage first.”

In Arkansas, they are trying to even the playing field when tow companies cross state lines

“A Senate committee Wednesday endorsed legislation that would authorize the state to fine out-of-state tow truck operators for pickups in Arkansas if their home state bans Arkansas towers from operating there.
[…]
For instance, Oklahoma law requires that towing in that state be done by an Oklahoma towing operation owned by an Oklahoma resident, the committee was told.

The law prohibits a Fort Smith resident whose vehicle breaks down near his home, but on the Oklahoma side of the border, to call an Arkansas towing company to deliver the vehicle to a garage in Arkansas…”

In Michigan, tow truck driver’s are revving up for a civil suit.

“..many companies are upset with the $300 per vehicle fee for city inspections of vehicles. According to the ordinance, vehicles must be inspected when the license is renewed every two years.

“Why am I paying for my (state) inspection?” asked American Towing owner Daryl England. “(The state) is above the city on this.”

Because MDOT already inspects vehicles for safety, towing owners are upset that the city is imposing another inspection on top of what is already required by the state.

At a council meeting last month, when several towing companies voiced their concern about the fee, a representative from Stadium Towing said the new inspection would be to make a truck is equipped with the proper tools. He said the MDOT inspection only covers the safety of a truck or wrecker.

“If I call a tow truck, I expect it to have the right tools,” King said. “It’s standard equipment.”

England said the fee would have to be passed onto the consumer. He said it would make the cost for a tow and impound even more expensive than it is now.

“The actual tow bill is $140, then you’ve got to tack on everything else,” he said.

David McCoy, a driver for Discount Towing, said the city of Toledo tried passing a similar ordinance, which was defeated in court.

“We’re all going to get an attorney,” England said. “We’re going to file a class-action law suite.”

The picture up top is from a tow service forum where members can send in shots of memorable tows. Definitely proof that good road service requires some skills a bit more complicated than throwing on a chain.
(Click image to enlarge)

click image to enlarge
In the “culture of cute”, pink cars appear to sell remarkably well. At least that is what the figures coming out of Japan suggest. The “cute” Nissan Pino, actually made by Suzuki, comes in at 8600 dollars and 5500 models were sold the first month they were out – twice more than what was projected.

The picture above is a sample snapshot from Nissan’s website that gives you an image of your car accessorized however you choose. Perhaps if I read Japanese I’d understand why they want me to accessorize with stuffed animals and my Pino interior wouldn’t end up looking so, well, cute.

The way I figure it, if I am ever stalled on the freeway, road service will have an easy time spotting me. After all, how many 11′ pink cars with a matching zoo are there?

“Ayano Sasao is defying the conventional wisdom that cars targeted to a niche consumer category like young women are doomed to fail.

The 18-year-old Japanese hospital worker just bought the Nissan Pino, a toylike minicar just 3.4 meters (11 feet) long with star-stamped upholstery, a hook for a handbag and a chic “milk tea beige” exterior — although she says she almost went with the pink.

“It’s so cute. I just love it,” she said.

To make sure women like Sasao get the message, Nissan Motor Co. launched a merchandise line for Pino, including pink bear-shaped cushions, seat covers with hearts, a CD case that looks like fat red lips, and a colorful cover for a tissue box.

Ironically, Pino isn’t even made by Nissan, Japan’s third biggest automaker. It’s made by Suzuki Motor Inc.

But under a manufacturing agreement, Nissan packages Suzuki’s Alto model differently, with fancier seat fabric, a distinct front design and a hubcap inspired by a snowflake so the wheels appear to sparkle on the road — all touches to give the car that cute look.”

(source)

The slam of rushing air breaking against the side of your small compact is just one of the many unwanted thrills of being stalled in a freeway emergency lane. As semi after semi rumbles by, the sight of a tow truck’s emergency lights in your rear view mirror is welcome relief. Road service has just been stepped up a notch in San Bernadino with the Freeway Service Patrol, a road service program that improves motorist safety and keeps traffic flowing.

“The Freeway Service Patrol began in January 2006 and this month expanded to the 10 and the 215 freeways.

The free service is designed to get stranded vehicles moving or off the road as quickly as possible to reduce congestion.

“We have such an immediate reduction in flow when you have something as simple as someone broken down on the shoulder,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Dennis Welch, who supervises the service in San Bernardino County.

The roughly 15 tow trucks each work a “beat,” or a designated section of freeway, from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. and then from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with extended Friday hours of 1 to 7 p.m.
[…]
The service was used temporarily during construction of the truck-climbing lane in Yucaipa a few years ago, but it’s just now become a permanent feature on all major freeways in the county.

New radios and new computers with global positioning systems allow dispatchers to track the exact location of the trucks.

Sanbag contracts with regular tow companies, but the trucks and drivers must meet rigorous standards.

“It’s very regimented, the way they dress, the way the trucks are outfitted,” Welch said. “We try to be a cut above.”

The drivers of the 15 trucks each go through two days of training, partly to ensure they know their jobs, and also to make sure they interact well with the public.

Each truck carries five gallons of gasoline, five gallons of diesel and five gallons of water.

The idea is to either get people moving within 10 or 15 minutes, or get them towed to a safe spot off the freeway. If towed to another location, they are always taken to a well-lighted area with phone access and someplace to wait indoors.

From January 2006 through February 2007, the drivers have contacted nearly 27,000 motorists. That includes 4,380 people with flat tires, 2,291 who were out of gas, and 1,554 whose vehicles overheated.”
(source)