Members of the BTRO Board,

As a heavy duty towing and recovery operator in Augusta County,  I am very concerned with the equipment requirements you are considering for Class A Operators.  There are currently no Class A operators in Augusta County that will qualify for public safety towing if the equipment requirements go forward as they are proposed.  There are not enough large truck accidents in our area to justify requiring all operators to have 2 heavy duty wreckers in order to do public safety towing.  We have been in the heavy duty towing and recovery business since 1989 and are on the rotation lists for both the Virginia State Police and the City of Staunton Police.  On occasion, we have been called out to handle an accident that required equipment that we do not own ( including a second heavy duty wrecker) and we have been able to hire or rent  what was necessary to clean up the accident.  We have successfully worked with all of the other heavy duty towing companies in our county and with some in adjoining counties.  Equipment that might be necessary in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond or Roanoke can not be economically justified in quite a few areas of the state.  There is no one in this county  that can support a heavy duty wrecker solely with public safety tows.  In order to  financially support a truck, you must have customers from the commercial and private sector as well as from public safety.  If we were to be able to justify the fiscal impact of a second truck, it would most certainly have to be available to do long distance towing or any other jobs our customers might require.  A second wrecker would also mean you would have to increase your customer base which then increases the odds that that  second truck would not be available.  Even operators who own two heavy duty trucks cannot guarantee that both will be available at all times should a major accident occur.  Will they be able to subcontract a second truck from another company if one of theirs is not available?  If so, then why not allow companies that only own one truck to be able to do that from the beginning?

In short, I ask that you reconsider the requirement for two heavy duty wreckers.  

Sincerely,

James C. Mason