As a wrecker service operator for nearly 37 years, I’m tired. Not just exhausted from long hours, but tired of everything that goes along with it. As I began my career in the early 70’s, I distinctly and vividly recall the “split” – tow operators who had Railroad Commission authority to go between two incorporated cities and those that did not – or could not – obtain the “permit.” For those of you too young to remember, the Texas RRC “protected” the roughly 165 companies with the permit by holding hearings to determine if a new applicant was “a public necessity”, and of course permitted companies nearly always blocked these permits. There again; in those days, the state of Texas, through the RRC totally regulated prices (consent or non-consent and routes) telling the public that they had no choice but to use the non-competitive companies that they (the state) protected (permitted). You think I’m kidding! It sounds like the “mob” controlling the docks in NYC. 

 

For years, I fought long and hard for deregulation – many times sitting across from “permit holders” in committee rooms in Austin.   Some seemed to like their “protection” because as a smaller group of operators with RRC authority, they felt powerful against other operators. Then finally came September 1994 when all trucking including wreckers were deregulated and able to compete in a fair market, which by the way, should have been in the interest of the consumer. Then came TTSA, formerly Texas Certificated Towers, to represent wrecker operators all over Texas. Really? Not long after their reorganization, I joined.  “OK”, I thought, “strength in numbers, lobbyist in Austin” – sounds good. But continually throughout the years; it seemed to some of us that every time the word Austin was mentioned, here came a new rule, regulation, state law, transfer of power from one state entity to another and always with some type of new “fee or penalty” attached to help “weed out” the operators that degraded our industry. It seemed more like to strangle out the smaller companies so the original 165 or so would have a better slice of the pie – who knows.

Then came TTSA, again, to better our industry by lobbying the state to transfer wrecker permits from TXDOT to TDLR and adding broad regulatory authority over operations. Are the rules necessarily out of line? Not really, I think most of the rules were actually emulated from long time operators like me – and training and certification is not a bad thing except when it is mandated as a rule of law. Even still we’ve lose sight of protecting the public with all of the new state fees coming along in the worst economy in 50 years and the state’s lack of ability to regulate non-consent tow rates.   As read through TDLR’s fiscal note to the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House of Representatives, it would cost $9.3 million to enforce the “new laws”, and they would raise the funds through higher permit fees and fines or as they call it “fee generated revenue.” With that in mind it comes as no surprise that the last few years have produced some extraordinary tow bills of $2,000-$20,000 for handling a single pickup or car.  I guess the courts will eventually have to settle this mess. But wait, I thought the image of the industry was better! 

The rule and regulation changes included that every wrecker driver required a certification from TDLR.  Then came Southwest Tow Operators to help train some of these thousands of drivers that now needed TDLR licensing. Seems both associations (Southwest Tow Operators and TTSA) made quite a bit of money from a lot of people in this downturned economy at a time when you can’t predict fuel prices from week to week. If this industry doesn’t get it’s act together and find a way to self-regulate itself, be sure that government intervention will come back stronger than ever. Some people may need the government to tell them where to go or what to charge –socialism. Personally, I don’t, but what the heck! I’ll be retired in a few short years. To TTSA and Southwest (I’m a member of both) pull everyone together & quit poking sticks at Austin.  Bureaucrats and politicians, like most snakes, DO BITE!