An Oshkosh Corporation Company
June 2011 For Hard Working ToWing ProFessionals
Stepp’s Towing // New Jerr-Dan 50-Ton Rotator // Florida Tow ShowWho Says Towers Aren’t Romantic? // Events Calendar
Joel Amsley is senior vice president of Jerr-Dan Corporation
The last six months have been very busy – tough in many ways, but rewarding in others. We have completed the transition of our manufacturing and administrative operations to a new location we now share with sister company, JLG. We are located a few short miles from our previous headquarters.
There were many reasons for this change, but they all boil down to making every effort possible to become more responsive to our customers. So that you can work more effectively and profitably. It hasn’t been an easy or painless process. But, in a very short period of time, the results are already becoming apparent.
The new 50-Ton Rotator is a great example. Developed in the midst of this transition, the 50-Ton Rotator made its debut this year at the Florida Tow Show. Its performance specs are flat out amazing!
Once again I say this is a “We the people” business, and we always enjoy sharing stories about the distributors and towers across the country that make ours such a great industry. Be sure to check out the article on Herb Ash at Maryland Carrier & Wrecker. And the profile of family owned Stepp’s Towing that includes insight into the values it has employed to thrive for more than 50 years.
And don’t miss the wedding story of Brian Carnaghi and Cindy Trimble that includes a motor home, 2,600 miles and a ceremony at Bristol Motor Speedway with 100,000 plus “guests”!
With our business growing stronger, we’re looking forward to the future with great excitement. The response and feedback we’re getting from you is energizing and we thank you for your business and for your support.
As always, I would like to hear from you any time, for any reason. You can call my office at 301-745-5495 or e-mail me at [email protected].
– Joel Amsley
Joel’s Column
© 2011 Jerr-Dan Corporation, An Oshkosh Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Run Hard is a publication of Jerr-Dan Corporation.
Herb Ash, newly appointed head of commercial sales for Jerr-Dan distributor Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales, has
been in the towing and recovery industry since 1996. “I started out with a towing equipment manufacturer and worked my way up, identifying and setting up new distributors,” said Ash. “I then went to work for a distributor, and so I’ve seen the business from many different angles.”
Ash has a firm grasp on how to build business. “You can sum up my philosophy in one word – integrity. I sell with integrity, knowing that to succeed I have to put the customer first and exceed their expectations. That’s me in a nutshell.”
Ash believes he has a leg up on the competition by having the Jerr-Dan brand. “Jerr-Dan has a complete product line to meet every customer’s requirements. The company has a track record of innovation and dependability, and those qualities are a big plus in my book.”
“I truly enjoy getting to know the people in the industry. In my position, I’m lucky to meet a wide range of customers, from small family companies to large operations. They all have unique needs and it’s a pleasure working with each and every one of them.”
Herb has been married to his wife Darby for 20 years. Together, they have five kids with whom Herb enjoys spending free time: “I love to hang out with the family. Weather permitting, you can usually find us on a soccer or lacrosse field.”
NOTE: Open House at Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales on Thursday,
June 9, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4501 East Lombard Street,
Baltimore. For more information call Herb at 443-463-7492.
Meet Herb Ash, Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales
The 2011 Florida Tow Show that was held April 14-17 was a
resounding success for Jerr-Dan, and everyone able to attend had a great experience. With spring on the chilly side in northern latitudes, the sun and warmth in Orlando were a welcome change for those traveling from these cooler destinations.
Jerr-Dan was proud to sponsor Thursday night’s fabulous kick-off party and dance (co-sponsored by our friends at Freightliner, Truck Country, Rush Truck Centers and Prairie Archway International Trucks). The evening included food, drinks, dancing and tons of fun. The live music featured the Caribbean Chillers Jimmy Buffet Tribute Show band.
The Jerr-Dan booth included a giant sandbox with sand sculptures that was co-sponsored by Ford and
Pritchard Family Auto Stores. The booth also showcased the new 50-Ton Rotator, along with a wide range of carrier and wreckers. With its torsion box frame and 41-foot fixed boom reach, the Jerr-Dan 50-Ton Rotator embodies the innovation and strength found in all Jerr-Dan products.
In addition to the fun and festivities happening in the first class Jerr-Dan booth, the show provided an opportunity for towing professionals to take part in a wide range of classes and training. Driver training for light and medium duty trucks, as well as certification classes featuring Towing Recovery Association of America (TRAA) testing for Levels 1, 2 and 3 were available.
Programs in demand included new vehicle towing and service, and training and certification for towing
automobile brands such as Audi, BMW, Mini Cooper, Mercedes, VW, and Porsche. Classes on how to help build and grow a towing and recovery business were highly rated by those who attended. Sessions included topics such as sales and marketing, social media, fleet management GPS, auto-mated billing, controlling fuel costs, scene photography and much more. Other exciting events included the annual Tow Truck Beauty Contest, with an outstanding group of awesome vehicles.
Thanks to all the Jerr-Dan distributors and customers who attended and took part in the festivities. We’ll see you next year.
The giant Jerr-Dan sandbox and sand sculpture was a huge hit for kids, and gave parents time to check out the new equipment.
The new Jerr-Dan 50-Ton Rotator was the star of the Florida Tow Show.
Florida Tow Show Festivities
Thursday night’s kick-off party included live music featuring the Caribbean Chillers Jimmy Buffet Tribute Show band.
Meet Herb Ash, Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales
tepp’s Towing of Tampa, Florida, is a family owned
business that has been serving west central Florida for over 50 years. The company currently operates over 180 pieces of equipment and has a strong preference for Jerr-Dan vehicles. “I’d say more than 95% of our equipment is Jerr-Dan,” said Todd Stepp.
“We have more than 200 employees, and we do a mix of everything. We do a lot of dealership work. We do a lot of motor club work. A lot of our business has turned to motor clubs but, for example, we work hand-in-hand with the fire department which, on our larger stuff, works really well because we train with them. We donate cars to them for extrication classes. And we’ve shown them how to utilize our large wreckers as rescue vehicles to rescue trapped drivers.
Members of the Stepp’s Towing Service team at the company’s 50th anniversary celebration and surprise party. The party included about 400 guests. From left to right: Tony Huffman, Steve Stickley, Jim Stepp, Judy Stepp, Todd Stepp, Todd Riley, Mike McArthur, Jon Roy.
“Our relationship with the fire department began some years ago when we received a call and learned they had been working for 40 - 45 minutes trying to get a trapped gentleman out of a vehicle. The department got to the point where they brought us over and we hooked it up and carefully lifted the vehicle in
just a manner of minutes and they got the guy out. At that point, we started working more closely together on major rescue operations. They’ve got different equipment than we have, and in certain situations they’ll use us before getting their equipment out.”
Stepp’s is especially pleased with Jerr-Dan heavy-duty wreckers. “This new rotator will make the second Jerr-Dan rotator in our fleet. The Jerr-Dan units will do a lot more than what they say they can do. We haven’t been out there on a job yet that we weren’t able to successfully complete because of the equipment. They under-promise and over-perform,” explains Stepp.
Some of this success, Todd believes, is because of Jerr-Dan’s willingness
STEPP’S TOWING STEPS FORWARD“No job too small, no problem too big.”
visit us at www.jerr-dan.com
to listen. “We were a part of a focus group, me and one of my senior drivers, Butch VanDyken. We flew up to Pennsylvania and participated in a comprehensive focus group about heavy-duty rotators. They get a lot of input from the owners and the drivers who operate these vehicles. I believe that’s why, when they do put a new vehicle or wrecker together, like the 50-Ton Rotator, they have a piece of equipment that stands out from everybody else’s.”
The management staff has a combined experience of 165 years in the towing industry. “We have an on-call manager at all times to respond to any situation. Should there be a question or a problem that needs to be answered, we are only a phone call away. Stepp’s pays close attention to supporting and recognizing its employees. “Our mission is to provide excellent customer service, and we can’t do it without the help and the dedication of our employees. The job requires a lot of hard work, and the equipment
that they work with day in and day out has to hold up, rather than it being in the shop. But really, our employees are the key to our success.”
All of Stepp’s drivers go through an intense operator training and back-ground check. The company prides itself on clean, courteous drivers who conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Stepp’s features a call center operated 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and dispatches between 300 and 400 calls per day.
STEPP’S TOWING STEPS FORWARD
visit us at www.jerr-dan.com
It was the spring of 2010, and Brian Carnaghi was attending the Bristol
Motor Speedway NASCAR event with girlfriend, Cindy Trimble, when he decided there was no better place than the speedway to pop the question! “Well, we go every year. We’re season ticket holders and, we were down there in the spring of 2010. We called in and got on the Sirius NASCAR Radio show with Claire B. Lang. We told her about our trip to Bristol and, one thing led to another and later that night I asked Cindy to marry me.”
So when and where would the wedding take place? “After we got off the radio, Cindy asked me when and where and I said, ‘Well, we’ll do it here at the race-track next year.’”
Actually, the wedding trip Brian and Cindy undertook in 2011 started more than a week before the race, and covered 15 days, 10 states and more than 2,600 miles in a motor home. “Actually, we left on the 9th of March, went down to Florida to see my mom, and came back up the east coast and
over to Bristol. We arrived on the 17th, got married, left Bristol on the 20th, and went west to Pigeon Forge in the Smokey Mountains for three days before returning home on the 25th. What an adventure.”
The wedding and the surrounding festivities were more than Brian and Cindy expected. “NASCAR wouldn’t let us do anything in the infield but the track was very cooperative. They helped to arrange the ceremony at the Bruton Smith Building outside the track and in the shadow of the main grandstands. It was there where the local county clerk met us and performed the ceremony.”
Jerr-Dan stepped forward once they heard about the ceremony and celebration. “Tracy from Jerr-Dan marketing called, and they had four tickets for us in their hospitality suite during the race. Cindy looked beautiful in her wedding dress, and I wore a suit. We had lots of fun with it. The night before the wedding, on Friday night, we did the Richard Petty Driving Experience where you get to ride in the car around the track.”
A wedding dress and suit kind of stand out at Bristol during a NASCAR race. “We had a good time with it. I don’t know how many pictures were taken that day. We made another call to the Claire Lang Sirius NASCAR radio show the night before. Man, everybody was stopping
us. Just walking through the stands, people would yell, ‘Hey, you’re the people on the radio!’. It was a weekend we’ll never forget.”
By the way, for those wondering, Jeff Burton won the race.
So, what’s Carnaghi Towing’s history with Jerr-Dan? Some might call it a marriage made in heaven. Brian Carnaghi explains, “I’m not one of the big, big towers but I’m far from being one of the small towers. It doesn’t seem to matter with Jerr-Dan; they work with you and they’re always on the leading edge. That’s how I got into Jerr-Dan heavy duty vehicles – it was because of their composite bodies and lightweight, yet heavy duty design.”
“I’ve been out to the Jerr-Dan factory several times, and compared to others, Jerr-Dan people are down to earth. They listen, talk with you, and address any issues you have.”
Who Says Towers Aren’t
Romantics at Heart?
As mentioned earlier, the new Jerr-Dan 50-Ton Rotator was a
huge hit at the Florida Tow Show. This rotator offers an unmatched combination of heavy-duty capabilities with a full 360-degree rotating boom.
“The 50-Ton Rotator is all about strength, flexibility and performance, with a much larger working radius than competitive brands,” said Joel Amsley, Senior Vice President of Jerr-Dan Corporation. “Feedback from Florida was way beyond our expectations. In fact, we received several orders while at the show. This tells us we’ve hit a home run with the industry.”
The recovery boom features an impressive fixed reach of 41-feet – a three-foot longer boom working radius than its closest competitor. This added range gives operators the ability to reach farther and handle jobs that were previously out of reach. The three stage, independent, hydraulic, extendable boom features a lifting capacity of 100,000 lbs. @ 30-degrees when retracted, and 20,000 lbs when fully extended (using SAE J2512 boom lift ratings). The torsion box frame increases the RBM rating to an unmatched 12 million RBM at the
turret, while minimizing twist and increasing tip load capacities. It also minimizes stress to the truck frame during recovery and material handling operations.
The low profile outrigger system includes a compact scissor-style design that minimizes the need for cribbing on uneven terrain and road crown, thereby saving time and increasing profits. The outrigger system also offers 26” inches of stroke and 14” of ground penetration allowing the operator to level the unit on a 6 degree incline.
The body features an abundance of storage space, with multiple tool compartments, pull out drawers and tool management systems.
The composite body – with a 15 year history – has a track record second to none, providing maintenance free and corrosion resistant components.
The unit is standard with a 35,000 lb. underlift and 124” reach with an option of 144” reach. There is also an upgrade option to the 53,000 lb. underlift with 141” reach or 56,500 lb. underlift with a 176” reach.
Standard main winches are 50K 2-speed with an option to scale down
to 35K 2-speed. An optional 35K 2-speed deck winch is also offered.
All these features and all this muscle with a nimble and manageable weight of just 63,350 lbs. This unit definitely hits the mark. Added Amsley, “Like all Jerr-Dan vehicles, the new Jerr-Dan 50-Ton Rotator was developed with help from towing professionals. They provided valuable insight and input to our engineering and product development team and, as you can clearly see, the proof is in the product.”
EVENT SCHEDULELook for Jerr-Dan vehicles at the following events and venues:
June 3 - 5, 2011 ESTRA Tow Show, Lake George, NY
June 22- 24, 2011 2011 RSIG Annual Seminar, Uncasville, CT
August 26 - 27, 2011 Food City 250 Nationwide Race & IRWIN Tools Night Race - Sprint CupBristol, TN
September 9, 2011 2011 Tow Truck and Trade Show, Kenly, NC
N e w P r o d u c t :
Jerr-Dan Introduces
50-Ton R o T A T o R
The MPL™: When you’ve got to work fast.
Perfect for repossession work, parking enforcement or any time you need
to get in and out quickly, the Jerr-Dan® MPL™ self-loader offers best-in-class
features like outstanding visibility and a patented LOCKLINK™ mechanism.
The Underlift Level Stop Assist System lets you set up quickly while the
longest underlift reach lets you get long overhang vehicles with greater ease.
The MPL wrecker: get in, get out and get on with your day.
www.jerrdan.com
An Oshkosh Corporation Company. The Jerr-Dan name and Jerr-Dan logo are registered trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation, ©2011 Jerr-Dan Corporation.
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