Oh yeah having communication with the first responders and finding out the details and find the best and fastest way to get to the scene cause every second counts with people possibly in the roadway and disabled vehicle or vehicles being a trucker for over 14 years I've spent my fair share sitting in the passenger seat of tow trucks with my rig in tow. Its dangerous out here seen my fair share of accidents happen. Any idea how long till they start the communication ball rolling? And how long does it usually take once they authorize it. Done some light recovery and in North Carolina where I live it took awhile for them to discuss it and thats only when the road closure got to long cause nobody knew who was on scene and it took longer to get set up and get it out of there. I love the videos and how u don't let anything get between you and safety. You and your family are always in my prayers. GOD BLESS YOU
you should get yourself one of these takes almost any bolt off or go for the full size one if you want Milwaukee 2962-20 M18 FUEL Lithium-Ion Brushless Mid-Torque 1/2 in. Cordless Impact Wrench
Oh I forgot to mention about Ron....a very, very, trusting hard worker. My muscles feel sore just watching this video with him dealing with this 18 wheeler. If it hasn't been one thing it's been another. Hang in there Ron. Happy Thanksgiving 🦃✝️
Ron, I knew you were the best at backing up, on your own. Now with a huge tractor and trailer and in the dark. Plus, teaching the young’un how to do it with manners.
I'm sure there are other Professional recovery TOW Truck drivers like Ron. But then there is Ron who documents the event. At min. 4 it was clear to that the driver of the semi had no clue. All he knew was how to move forward and back the rig. Ron knew more about that rig than the driver did. Shame on the Co. that trained him. An operator of an 80,000 lb. rig should know more. GOD Bless Ron and GOD Bless to all your employees.
Unfortunately that is how it's been in the industry for a very long time. Give them the basics so they can get their license and get hired and hope the company will give them some proper training. It hardly ever goes that way though. Trucks like these are going to autoshift more and more because these drivers cannot properly shift a manual transmission.
At min 4, all I saw was a driver that was confused on the instructions he was being given and the questions being asked at the same time. The confusion of the driver is evident in other parts of the video where he's asking about a hotel on multiple occasions and trying to figure out what he's supposed to be doing while everyone else is doing their jobs. I don't fault the driver, it's likely his first breakdown out on the road.
I know, it's a sad state of affairs in modern trucking. I've heard that many companies won't even allow drivers to adjust their own brakes (assuming they knew how in the first place, SMH).
I'm not a trucker or heavy vehicle driver, but I noticed that straight up. The poor guy sadly didn't have much idea. I've learnt a lot watching Ron and his guys over the past few months. Only one actuation on the brakes, else you'll deplete what remaining air pressure you have in the tank, and the brakes will lock on, then Ron will have to cage them all to move the rig! Every time I see Ron and boys crawl under the tractors and trailer axles I think of being there in a torrential downpour and having to lie in freezing water fixing the brakes. You guys are tough! Kudos to your efforts and dedication. Great respect for heavy truck recovery teams!
There is a difference between drivers and operators. Driver: 1) The person or thing that urges or compels anything else to move onward 2) The person who drives beasts or a carriage; a coachman; a charioteer, etc.; hence, also, one who controls the movements of a any vehicle. Operator: 1) One who, or that which, operates or produces an effect. 2) A person who schemes and maneuvers adroitly (cleverly or skillfully) or deviously to achieve his/her purposes. If I were operating that rig, I'd have the electrical system tested before the tow truck arrived and likely be working on a fix for it. Actually reminds me of something that happened years back. I was an airport works safety officer during a major upgrade project, when an old roller (VERY old, think steam roller style but with a diesel engine that looked like it was producing steam when it first started in the morning) broke down. Unfortunately, it broke down in the middle of the main runway and there was no way to tow it. The driver and other company were running about panicking while I diagnosed and fixed the electrical issue with nothing but my bare hands. * Definitions as per the Webster Dictionary
"Not holding your mouth right" Thought my dad was the only one who said that.. usually when I was working on a car and couldn't get a bolt in/out.. bwahaha Thanks for that. Brought back a bunch of good memories..
That was interesting, I hadn't heard that expression before. I'm a lefty so it was funny watching him trying to do that wrong handed, while upside down and backwards. Poor man. Those designing these machines don't seem to plan for when things go wrong.
My Dad always would say it when we're were out fishing. I would say Dad they are not biting today, and he always said You're not holding your mouth right and about that time he would pull in a large redbreast and he says SEE!!!! I miss my Dad 1927 - 2011.
Sitting here in the U.K. at 3am and with real bad TOOTHACHE, just waiting for the painkillers to kick in. Watching you rescue a dead truck has helped take my mind off the agony! My compliments to you Ron, not only do you do the job right, you film it and give us a running commentary too. Now that's real multitasking! David in the U.K.
Sir, your dedication, work-ethic, and general all-around attitude in any given situation astounds me. You interact with all kinds of people and you treat them all with respect. And you do this all without cussing. ( That alone is amazing) Keep on doing what you do best and we'll continue watching. 🙏🙏
Like Ron said... "There's a lot to do to make this SAFE to tow." It takes time to do it the right way. Too many take unnecessary shortcuts because of being in a hurry.
I rode with a guy that didn't bother chaining the front axle to the lift. Sure enough, we had a sudden traffic stop right in the middle of the Jackson Avenue curve (TIGHT!) in Kansas City. He was on full brake and full jake bringing it to a stop, and I was fully expecting the truck behind us to get away and make a mess of things. Somehow it didn't. I was never so glad to see a ride on the hook over when we got to the rental facility. I made it a point to remember that outfit and that cowboy operator, because if I ever got him again, I was going to call in a ride. Or walk.
a few weeks back a lady had a tire blow out accross the street from our shop...she got a tow to us for a tire...okay? id just drive it on the rim if the tire was shot 300 ft wouldnt cause any harm. i was suprised the tow truck driver did a full strap down and secure to drive 4 roll backs length of driving like i fully expected winch and one or 2 tie downs in the rear. just like what you would do to just clear the road way
One in the UK a few years ago recovered a fully laden car transporter with 8 Range Rovers on board, (around 40,000kg), and it detached on a main route to the docks. A "simple" breakdown recovery ended up with 8 cars and two trucks to recover, every vehicle involved was either on its' side or roof. You can imagine the mess. Around £850,00 for the cars and transporter alone. After a court case it was determined he hadn't chained the front axle to the lift.
There's professionals truck drivers out there then there's professionals tow trucks drivers who kept our roads safe and clear of accidents my hats off to you there ron Pratt and midwest trucking
@@LarkspeedNL yeah, I'm a righty and I've heard stories and seen friends who are lefty's. Take for instance golf clubs, a set for lefty's is like double the price, to me that shouldn't discourage people
I wish homemakers could understand this process, then they too would find things quickly. Before this process, a home for the item, tool, needs to be made and remembered first. This system works for me. Grandkids can find what they need in my home, but not in their home. Sad.
As a former wrecker driver, I have to say that you are one of the most professional operators i have ever seen. I have learned so much watching your videos. God bless and keep up the great work that you do. Please keep safe.
For those unfamiliar with air brakes and didn't understand why he needed air in the brakes; air brakes work opposite to a car's braking system. Basically, with a car, when you press the pedal, it pushes hydraulic fluid into a caliper the puts pressure onto a disc, which slows the wheel. Air brakes, on the other hand, have calipers that have _extremely_ heavy springs that force pressure onto a disc, which slows the wheel. Now you're asking "so where does the air come in?" Basically, the spring is held back by air pressure, so when there is no air pressure, the brakes lock up. In short, air brakes are fail-safe, instead of fail-deadly (because with hydraulic brakes, if you have a hydraulic leak, you lose all braking power, whereas with air brakes, if you get an air leak your brakes will lock solid and you'll come to a stop). This is also why pumping the brakes in an air brake-equipped vehicle is a _very_ bad idea, because the compressor may not be able to keep up. That is why when Ron was panicking when the truck driver fiddled with the air pressure; had he lost it completely, Ron would have had to do an extremely time-consuming manual override fix before being able to hook up his own air supply to power the truck's brakes through his (which is nice too because that provides him control of that truck's brakes as well with no modifications required). The manual override fix is basically installing spreading the spring by using the brake's Release Bolt (pretty much exactly what it sounds like; a bolt built into the brake that you use to loosen or tighten the spring). With 6 or more brakes to deal with, this could add another 20-40 minutes to the job (as you would need to also loosen them once the pull was complete and his truck was hooked up). Hope this helps for those who were curious! :)
I'm A 25 yr veteran truck driver and I'll tell you the reason I got out of trucking is the type drivers that was coming out. So many that didn't belong in a truck, drivers wearing flip-flops, didn't blink their lights when passing them. Didn't know anything about the truck trailers they were using.. Just idiots.
I drove for 5 years. Had my truck damaged 4 times. Three times I was PARKED. Two of those times were caused by another “trucker” doing something stupid. The time I was moving was a drunk driver who changed lanes on a freeway right into my front bumper!
This a great example of when you work well with people and go out of your way to go above and beyond. Cause when your the ones that needs a hand others will be more willing to give you the hand you need. (ie law enforcement doing everything they can to help Ron out here)
Mr. Ron, this is my first time commenting on any of your videos sir, and I would like to say that I am disabled/ no longer able to work. I’m in Philadelphia Mississippi and I enjoy watching your videos on RU-vid. Thank you Sir for your manners, professionalism, and most of all your quote “God Bless” at the end of each video. I pray for all the people in the Towing industry to have a safe trip each time yall get called out because I know the towing industry is a very dangerous job. May God Bless yall!!
"Only needs towing off the intersection" they said. Whatever your working environment, we've all come across these simple little jobs that really bite you in the posterior when you get to them. Well done for making it as straightforward as possible. And just when you thought you were out of the wood "You do know they're closing the intersection in 30 minutes". Well done to the Sheriff for helping you out.
Whenever I hear "It's a simple job" I always think....."Yeah, on paper. What's gonna bite me in the butt to make it more complicated and difficult that they don't realize has to be done to make it look simple"
That truck was gonna fight you tooth and nail. You did an awesome job. I did have to give this video 8 SERIOUSLYs. Automatic transmission? No towhooks on the trailer? Bridge demolition?
Because of your channel I’ve learned to appreciate more with the tow truck driver has to go through on a daily basis. So many variables, The traffic, weather, surroundings all add to the complexity of the recoveries. Never realized that before.
I feel like I’ve seen that female police officer you’re talking to in the school parking lot in another video of yours. Wouldn’t surprise me since you work closely with the police in your area. Edit: I went back and found it. It’s the “Another one bites the mud. GPS Fail” video where I saw the police officer
That title had me afraid this was another life safety emergency call like that cable entrapment a while back. Glad to see it was a mechanical in a (relatively) safe location with cover!
i doubt that the construction company would have actually started if he was still in the intersection. if anything i bet atleast one would do what they could to help him clear it
Ron, you've been sounding kind of tired these last few videos. When was the last time you took a vacation? You're always watching out for everyone working around you, make sure you take care of that one last guy too. We can wait for the next video.
Top of the line professional. That back breaking work and the stress stress that goes with it and still maintaining an amazing testimony to others. God bless
The flashing marker lights reminded me of my old job were we had a tanker that the lights would flash at random. Went out one night to close out the fleet for the day, saw the brake lights flash and thought someone was about to pull out. Ran to the cab so i can quickly close it out before the driver took off, no one was in it. Quite spooky in the middle of the night. That truck would do a bunch of other things at random too, like random PTO engagements. The mechanics couldn't figure it out. The joke in the company was the truck is possessed.
I watched in awe as you backed up this two pivot point monster! Just reinforces my respect for most big rig operators! I can’t even survive a single trip on a truck simulator without damaging something!!!
I got this advice from my grandpa who has a CDL and he taught me to the best way to learn to back trailer is to do it with a small trailer behind like a four wheeler the trailer does have to be longer than what you were backing it with though or else it’s nearly impossible, I learn to do it with a little 5 x 8 flatbed trailer behind my four wheeler and now I’ve had enough practice. I can pretty easily grab that same grandpa’s 6 x 10 trailer and park it on top of a dime or his 25 foot snowmobile trailer and put it dead where I want it.
I always enjoy your recovery videos. I appreciate your descriptions of the process as you are doing the job as well as your references to your faith. I have observed that, unfortunately, many commercial drivers have limited knowledge of the mechanical aspects of their trucks. For example, losing air pressure and that it will lock the brakes if too much air is bled off. I guess that can be attributed to insufficient training by mega carriers. It is unfortunate. Stay safe Ron.
I was thinking the same thing. When asked how much air pressure he had, he appeared to be stumped. Oh well. It's a shame but I guess it's just how things are today.
Many drivers are not fully trained IMO. My dad was a long haul trucker back in the 70's, and he knew every aspect of his truck, including how to do some of his own service on the truck. He only took it into the company shop when serious service needed done. These drivers today are barely trained to get a CDL, yet still know so little about how semi-trucks work. Its a lot like how people buy cars, yet don't know how to change a tire, nor have a battery charger or jump pack when the battery goes dead.
Ron, these videos are super to watch! I've recovered light aircraft from bizarre places, fields, hedge rows and in trees and used what I've seen you do to help with situations. Keep it up! All the best from England.
Officers did a great job in supporting and providing blocking, and then the sheriff drops by and lends his hand. You blessed to have some fine support.
👋 Right back at cha Ron, nice catch on them marker lights. It's amazing anyone can back up a tractor trailer with a Wrecker. A lot of combination going on. 49:28 A place for everything & everything in it's place. Thanks Bud fer taking us along, " Keep On Truckin " God Bless !!!!!!.
Ron, 50 years ago I was doing heavy salvage work here in Australia so I have some idea of what you are doing here - but, you leave me exhausted. ps: glad the bridge didn't go "boom"
That was one heck of a skilled back onto the road. In the dark with two pivot points and 90 degree back at that. Did 40 years of city driving putting trailers where they were never meant to go. But I'm not sure I could have pulled that one off. Nice job Ron.
WOW, Sikeston Mo, my dad and I used to travel near there while on vacation many years ago, he died in 1969 so like I said, many years ago. Now I'm older than he was when he passed away and doubt I'll ever go that way again but there are many good memories going from (back then) Pontiac Michigan to Walnut Ridge Arkansas. The only regret is we were always 'in a hurry' to get to the destination and not enjoy the trip. Stay Safe
That road closure for the bridge demo reminds me of "Carmageddon" in Los Angeles a few years back. They closed the 405 in Sepulveda Pass for an entire weekend! Thanks to a huge PR campaign, people mostly got the message and made their plans to avoid the area. As I recall, CalTrans also posted videos of the process.
I think that you were correct in saying that it was probably the alternator, if they have a voltage meter or at least an idiot light, why didn't the driver notice it earlier. Ron You did a great job working under pressure as always. Adjustable wrench, AKA universal metric wrench.
Amazing watching these videos to see how you work but it's also somewhat unnerving the amount of truck drivers that don't seem to have a clue about their equipment
The way you toss those chains and shackles around a person might think they're not heavy. I for one know what they weigh. Talk about cool under pressure. Nice job Mr. Pratt.
That was a tough one to have at night. Ron to the rescue with not a moment to spare. Like the super hero you are to these people haveing vehicle problems.
I believe it’s the left big toe that controls opposite hand reverse coordination when laying on the back. Thank you for sharing. God bless you and your family too.
Ron your such a respectful human being to all your clients who are having a bad day. If more men such as your father had taught there children to be as polite and respectful as you are the world would be a much better place than it is now. May God bless you and your family to the highest and I love your first thought is everyone ok. Prayers to you my friend.
Wow, thank you so much. I really do appreciate the support. I have had more bad days that I care to mention and my goal is NOT to make someone's day worse. Thank you for watching and God bless.
I am a new subscriber to this channel and I love it, I think it's because I'm in engineering so Cranes and chains gets me glued to the screen, well done Ron on this great channel, keep on making them, God bless, from the uk, 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸.
Yep. I remember when i got a tow when my clutch went out. I had enough clutch left in low gears to get out from under trl for front facing no trl tow back to terminal. Fun times
Yeah these automatic trucks can be a nightmare at times. Don’t really like them myself. Watched the walk around video you did back in Oct 2016 on the tator. Great explanation of everything Ron. Now I see why those tators ain’t cheap.
What you've got there, Ron, as you try to swing into that school parking lot, is the equivalent of an Australian road train. Difficult to maneuver at the best of times, but at night, and reversing, a nightmare.
