Commercial Truck Beauty Show

Any one in Utah this weekend? Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialist, just heard about the Pride and Polish truck event going on in St. George, Utah.  show will feature a truck light show at dusk on Friday and a dyno competition on Saturday. The dyno event will allow owners the chance to showcase their engine horsepower and torque, and prizes will be awarded for the highest horsepower classes in Caterpillar, Cummins and Detroit engines. Not to mention free lunch will be offered to all attendees on Saturday!  So if you are near there this weekend check it out! Click here to register for the Pride & Polish and Wash & Show event, or visit PDI’s site to register for the dyno competition.

 

Death of Tow Truck Driver: Hit and Run Culprit Caught

We at Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, were just as stunned as everyone else when we heard the news of one of our local boys being killed. March 21 at about 4:15 a tow truck driver was killed by a hit-and-run vehicle on Interstate 80 near Newcastle. The news shocked our entire community, and worse there were no leads as to who may have done it. It seemed that 30-year-old David Garfield Robinson Jr. killer would get away. However, thanks to a chance encounter police have now arrested 25-year-old Christopher Michael Keller.

Chance Encounter Leads To Hit-Run Arrest - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Commercial Tow Truck Driver Bitten By Police Dog

A police dog sniffing for illegal drugs chomped the arm of a commercial tow truck driver, who had been hired to tow a vehicle suspected of containing hidden compartments full of drugs. The driver was not seriously injured, having been released from the hospital with only a few bandages.

The department would not release the canine's name, saying the matter remained under administrative review. "Right now we're looking at the conditions that were present and the dog's temperament," Capt. Mark Gagan said. "I would mention that in the past few days, this dog has helped the narcotics unit seize 4 kilos of cocaine and arrest an armed felon."

Why the dog bit the tow driver remains a mystery. Drug traffickers often modify cars to hide large amounts of contraband in door panels, the engine compartment or other spots. "They were raising the car to search under the engine block," Gagan said. "While the tow operator was raising the car, the dog walked away from the vehicle and approached the driver and two undercover officers."

The incident happened in Richmond California, about 7 p.m. in the Police Department's rear parking lot.

Police would not comment on the narcotics investigation.

Source: Tow Industries Week

Greenest Tow Truck Company in Queens

When we read this story of how a tow truck company is going to great lengths to save a tree we had to share it with all our friends of Berrier Insurance.

Tommy Cali owner of Cove Auto Towing in Queens, didn’t have the heart to cut down an in-the-way tree 32 years ago when he converted the enclosed front porch of his 27th Ave. home into an office for his thriving business. Now he has 50-foot tree growing through the middle of his desk.

Cali built the office himself, and may be the greenest building around. “Everything is recycled,” he said proudly. “The marble floor is chippings, stuff they threw out. The windows are from a building they knocked down.”

“You’ve got tons of people that pass by everyday. They stop and take pictures. It’s a family-friendly thing.”Cali was recently offered $2.6 million for his home, he says. But he worries that a buyer would get rid of the tree to develop the property.

A rough patch of ceiling surrounds the tree trunk. “I’ve been cutting and cutting around it,” Cali said. “The tree grew a lot.” “No regrets,” Cali shrugged. “All my customers love it.”

He’s been busy in recent days wrapping the tree in Christmas lights and plans to hang ornaments. “I want to get all the branches,” he said. “We’re gonna do the whole thing all in lights.”

To read more about this story visit the NY Daily News article.

Tow Truck Insurance: Tis the Season for Towing

It’s the first day of December which means that the holiday shopping season is in full swing, poor weather will be moving in, and there will be a lot more people traveling to grandmother’s house. We want to remind both drivers and our tow trucking friends out there to be super careful. If you have a tow truck company, make sure that your tow truck insurance is up to date for the holiday season.

Towing companies are seeing an increase in business as more people fill up mall parking lots, making for fewer parking spaces and more people parking where they aren’t supposed to. There is also an increase in parking lot accidents due to impatient or unmindful drivers trying to navigate the busy state of affairs. Its always a bad situation, no one wants their car towed, but people are more frustrated about getting their car towed during the holidays, so tow companies are more often then not casted as a villain out to make a buck. With winter conditions setting in and more people on the road obviously there are more accidents, so drivers need to remember that tow truck companies are actually there to help.

Tow Truck Insurance To Relocate 91-Year-Old Steam Locomotive?

In Adair Park, North Lakeland Florida, on November 1st there was quite a sight to witness as two heavy rescue trucks were used to lift a train clear into the air, I bet when they were shopping for tow truck insurance they never thought they were going to be doing something like this.

A 91-year-old 111,000-pound steam locomotive was lifted into the air by two tow trucks and placed it onto a trailer so it could be delivered for restoration and then relocated to a museum in Newton, N.C. It was a bittersweet day for people who grew up with the train as a dozen residents took pictures with cameras and phones, but people were glad to hear the locomotive will undergo a $1 million restoration and placed in a museum.

Officials at the Southeastern Narrow Gauge and Short Line Museum had expressed interest in the locomotive a few years ago, after it was decided that the train had to be moved from the area because of a deal between the city and Lakeland Regional Medical Center, which has plans to expand south as part of a future major renovation. The museum was the only business to make a bid on the train when the city decided to sell it. “We were fortunate to find someone to refurbish it and not turn it into scrap metal,” said Bob ­Donahay, assistant parks and recreation.

Number 50 is a standard gauge mogul that was built by the American Locomotive Co. in 1922. It was used for many years by the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation to haul phosphate rock. In 1958 it was taken out of service in and then donated to the city of Lakeland in 1961. It’s expected that the locomotive will be restored in about eight months, and in the coming years, there is hope that the museum will raise enough money so the locomotive can run again.

If you think you will be lifting a train into the air contact Berrier Insurance for a fast free quote on tow truck insurance!

A Ghost Story

Its October again! Been another year on the road, anyone come across the paranormal or unexplainable, or even something that’s just down right creepy? This one was posted by Sandy on yourghoststories.com about an experience her mother, a truck driver, had while out on the road:

I must share this story with you before I write my second experience. For those of you that have read my last post, I mention that my adopted mom has experienced some horrific hauntings, ghost & spirits. This is one that happened about 1 year ago... My adopted mom called me in a frantic one afternoon, and what she told me brought chill's to my whole body. She was traveling on a road in Arkansas when a herd of deer ran out in the middle of the road at 9:36pm. The traffic went to 70mph to BRAKES! There were 2, 18 wheelers in front of her and 3 cars in front of them. So you can only imagine the outcome. The 18 wheelers had to stop so quickly that the trailers swung around and cleared everything within its path, including the cab of the truck. There was wreckage and deer all over the road and luckily my mom was able to stop just in time; due to the smart distance that she kept, far enough away that she was able to stop (She has driven a truck for 20 years.) As she pulled of the median she noticed a man standing 6 ft from her trailer, wondering how a man got next to her trailer so fast and without her seeing him. She said he had one hand across his chest and one hand in his pocket; looking very confused. The rescue team was on the way while the police were questioning the accident. One walked up to my mom and asked "What happened here?" As she was telling him about what happened she mentioned that "Someone needs to check this guy out back, by my trailer he looks very confused, he might wonder off in the traffic", and by then he had vanished. The cop said "what man?" Well he was just right there in plain view. The officer got a description so detailed down to facial hair and shoes! He walked away for a minute and came back and said the man you described is the owner of that wrecked 18 wheeler, and was found dead at the scene. She was in shock as the cop just turned around and walked the other way. After she left, she stopped at a truck stop and on the news was the wreck she just witnessed. There were 4 fatalities that night. She even left the scene before the rescue team came. The man she seen next to her truck was one of the victims in the accident.
Haunted roads, creepy gas stations, paranormal activity at truck stops, phantom lights in the sky...share your best story and get your big rig insurance. We have the best quotes on commercial truck insurance, tow truck insurance, and even contractor insurance. Give us a call at Berrier Insurance 530-823-8000!

Missing Teen Found by Trucker

SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA/WFMY) - A 13-year-old girl who met a man on the Internet weeks ago went missing Monday and was found by a very alert truck driver in South Carolina.

Alexandria Brooke Cagle, 13, went missing Monday after meeting a man on the internet who drove hundreds of miles to North Carolina to meet her, according to WFMY-TV.

Cagle, who is from the Burlington, NC area, was found near Spartanburg Wednesday with the man after being reported missing on Monday.

A towtruck driver, Beano Francis, was listening to a radio station when he heard a description of the car the pair might be traveling in.

A woman claiming to be the brother of Francis emailed WBTV on Thursday saying Francis lives in Shelby, NC and was driving to a Carmax dealership in Raleigh when he heard the radio information.

The next day, Francis was driving on I-85 on his way to a Carmax dealership in Greenville, SC when he saw a car matching the same description.

"Snap, soon as that car passed me, I mean he was right beside me, soon as he got beside me, I looked and I was like, that's the description. But when he passed me, and I saw West Virginia license plates, I thought this could be what I heard," Francis told WSPA-TV.

Francis followed the car as he directed authorities to it by cell phone. Police then found Cagle, who is from Alamance County near Burlington in North Carolina.

Tyler Ross Cole, 18, is facing charges of felony kidnapping, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and felonious larceny, WSPA reported.

Read more and view photos: http://www.wect.com

You guys are out there on the road a lot, and you really can make a difference thank so much to those of you who have helped those in need. In return we do our best for you, we specialize in commercial trucking insurance including tow truck insurance! That's not all we do though, we can also get you coverage for your motorcycle, ATVs, personal auto, and boats! Visit us at BerrierInsurance.com and call us for a quick free quote at 888-472-4915.

International Towing Museum

The International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga Tennessee is a true testament to the history of commercial trucking. An awe inspiring visit to say the least featuring restored antique wreckers and equipment, industry related displays of collectible toys, tools, unique equipment, and pictorial histories of manufacturers who pioneered a worldwide industry. Chattanooga is known as the birth place to the first wrecker, where it was fabricated and patented by Ernest Homes in 1916 establishing the Ernest Holmes Company. Visit the Museum in Chattanoogs’s historical downtown and you may get a personalized tour from Manager Frank Thomas, the man who knows all the best stories.



For more information visit their site International Towing and don't forget to check out our site too! We specialize in commercial trucking insurance including tow trucks! That's not all we do though, we can also get you coverage for your motorcycle, ATVs, personal auto, and boats! Visit us at BerrierInsurance.com and call us for a quick free quote at 530-823-800