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VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 | NOVEMBER 2005 An Oshkosh Truck Corporation Company www.jerr-dan.com FOR THE HARD-WORKING TOWING PROFESSIONAL THE JERR-DANJERR-DAN ROTATORROTATOR WORTH THE WAIT PAGE 8 TOWING IN VOLUME PAGE 4 CHANGING WITH THE TIMES PAGE16 Comment ALL GOOD THINGS FOR THE HARD-WORKING TOWING PROFESSIONAL ARE WORTH WAITING FOR Contents t’s here! The Jerr-Dan 60-ton tures of our 4 JERR-DAN heavy-duty Rotator has Rotator were OWNER PROFILE been unveiled! Our recent posted on AAA Southern New England I standardizes on Jerr-Dan trucks to distributor/tower Rotator introduc- the Internet. provide service to 1.5 million tion event was a huge success, and We’re flat- members a year. the comments we’ve received on our tered by new wrecker have been overwhelm- your enthusi- 8 JACK’S HEAVY-DUTY ingly positive. asm, and we The Jerr-Dan Rotator. Worth the wait. We set out with a lofty goal for believe our Rotator — develop the ultimate we’ve got the perfect powerhouse to 10 PRODUCT PROFILE wrecker. And this took time; years deliver. The 60-ton heavy-duty Rotator. in fact. At Jerr-Dan, we don’t do And a powerhouse it is. This anything until we’re ready. muscle-bound beast has a tip load 12 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT We don’t necessar- rating of 18,400 lbs.— far more Equipped to success . putting your best truck forward. “We don’t ily need to be the first; than the leading competitor. we just want to be the The high-strength alloy fabri- necessarily best. And we wanted cated construction boom is offered 14 INDUSTRY NEWS The Rotator introduction event. Team our new Rotator to live in both a 2-stage and a 3-stage TerraMax completes historic DARPA need to be the up to our, and your, configuration with a retracted rat- Grand Challenge. first; we just expectations. ing of 120,000 lbs. — 44,000 lbs. After many chal- on the second stage fully extended 16 JERR-DAN want to be the lenges, triumphs, and 26,000 lbs. at an impressive OWNER PROFILE sweat and exhaustion, 43 ft. of boom length. Both com- A diversified fleet of towing equipment best.” we have achieved our plete a 360-degree rotation. helps this Florida tower keep pace with customers’ needs. goal. We are proud to Our hydraulic stabilizer system introduce the 60-ton heavy-duty can’t be beat. Stability is provided Rotator to the towing and recovery by the widest double outrigger 20 COMPANY NEWS industry. spread in the industry — 264 in. for Our new workhorse is a front and rear. And setup on uneven 22 SHOW & GO combination of heavy-duty terrain is easy with 26 in. of ground What does your Jerr-Dan look like? capabilities, incredible rotation, penetration. A unique scissors-style unsurpassed pulling capacity and stabilizer design keeps loads closer superior design. to the ground when lifting over the Our Mission We know you’ve been waiting outrigger’s extended beams. To provide you with timely information patiently for our Rotator, and we I can go on and on about the about towing and recovery equipment thank you for your patience. We features and benefits of our new technology, products and safety. “Since 1992” also understand, and appreciate, Rotator. When you are truly excited your level of excitement for this new about something, it’s natural to want Run Hard is published on behalf of Jerr-Dan Corporation, an Oshkosh Truck Corporation Company, and Jerr-Dan Distributors. powerhouse. In fact, we hear that a to share it with others. We’d like to Editorial office: 1233 Janesville Ave., Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0803. mere 45 minutes after our introduc- share information about our new Phone: (800) 547-7377. E-mail: [email protected]. Printed in the United States, © 2005 Jerr-Dan Corporation tion event at our Greencastle Rotator with you. And we always Volume 14, Number 4, November 2005. For Canada: Agreement headquarters in early October, pic- appreciate your comments. Number 40064547. Jeff Weller President RUN HARD 3 VOL.14, NO.4 NOVEMBER 2005 Owner Profile TOWING IN VOLUME AAA SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND STANDARDIZES ON JERR-DAN TRUCKS TO SERVICE 1.5 MILLION MEMBERS A YEAR. anaging a large towing fleet Use what works standardization is key,” explains for excellent maneuverability in the AAA Southern New England’s Jerr-Dan fleet consists of 19-ft. steel-bed of approximately 100 trucks The majority of AAA Southern Levesque. The towing equipment is typi- area’s crowded streets and parking lots.” carriers and HPL 35 Series light-duty wreckers, most with deck-mounted winches instead of booms. M and 200 drivers for AAA New England’s business is made up cally mounted on Ford chassis (with the of light-and medium-duty towing of Staying close Southern New England would certainly exception of four International and 12 OWNER PROFILE keep anyone on their toes. Brian passenger cars. “We consider the GMC cab-over chassis). AAA Southern New England’s cus- ed in the Boston metropolitan area, out of Levesque handles the position of direc- mainstay of our business to be roadside “We try to purchase chassis and tow- tomers include more than 2 million mem- the Avon terminal. The city’s congested AAA Southern New England tor of fleet operations for the AAA club, assistance,” clarifies Sherrie Ryan, ing units with standard options and bers in the states of Rhode Island and streets are a perfect fit for the compact- Providence, Rhode Island headquartered in Providence, Rhode chief operating officer. Included in that equipment to help keep maintenance and Massachusetts. The club’s main building is bodied wrecker’s capabilities. Woburn and Avon, Island, with expertise and meticulous category are day-to-day roadside purchase costs to a minimum,” he adds. located in Providence, Rhode Island. “We need the flexibility to run the Massachusetts organization. A former tower himself, breakdowns, jump-starts, flat tires, That standard equipment includes Satellite terminals are located in Woburn trucks where they are needed,” explains Jerr-Dan Fleet Profile: Levesque is no stranger to what it takes lockouts, etc. 19-ft. steel beds on all carriers. Most and Avon, Massachusetts. Levesque. “We have compact territories Wreckers: to run a successful towing business. To handle the thousands of calls per carriers are not equipped with wheel Trucks are dispatched three shifts per that are densely populated and to run a 1 MPL40 light-duty integrated wrecker “I have 24 years of towing experience day that filter through the club’s dis- lifts because there is usually no need to day to designated areas from the three productive and efficient fleet, we need 35 HPL 35 Series light-duty operating my own towing company, patch center (see photo on page 6), tow a second vehicle. terminals in a combination of light- to manage the call volume from each wreckers with deck winch including light- and heavy-duty towing and the organization relies exclusively on Of the club’s 38 wreckers (excluding service, wheel-lift and flatbed trucks terminal on a daily basis.” 3 HPL 35 Series light-duty recovery,” Levesque explains. “However, Jerr-Dan towing equipment. the MPL40), only three have booms; the depending on historical call volumes Towed cars are typically towed to a wreckers with twin-line boom managing a fleet the size of AAA Southern Currently the club’s fleet consists of remaining 31 are equipped with only inherent to the area. service station instead of back to an AAA Carriers: 32 Standard-Duty Steel New England, with 1.5 million calls a year, one MPL40 light-duty integrated wreck- a deck winch. “We don’t handle many “Metropolitan areas tend to require terminal. “Members usually want their carriers with 19-ft. beds can at times be challenging.” er, 38 HPL 35 Series light-duty wreckers recovery situations so a standard more light service than towing,” cars towed directly to a service station,” To effectively manage such a and 32 steel-bed standard-duty carri- 4,000-lb. Ramsey deck winch works explains Levesque. “We examine call explains Ryan. “If the customer doesn’t Services • Roadside assistance volume, Levesque relies on structure, ers. The balance of the fleet is made up great for our needs,” explains Levesque. data on a regular basis and make have a mechanic in mind, we recom- (including jump-starts, lockouts, organization and, of course, quality of service trucks/vans. “The winch provides our drivers good changes as needed.” mend several from our approved vendor flat tires, etc.) equipment. “When you grow to a fleet our size, visibility out the back window and allows The MPL40, for example, is being test- list and allow the customer to choose.” 4 RUN HARD RUN HARD 5 VOL.14, NO.4 NOVEMBER 2005 VOL.14, NO.4 NOVEMBER 2005 Structure for volume As one of AAA’s numerous clubs across the United States, AAA Southern New England follows the policies and pro- cedures set in place by the national road service organization. As it relates to tow- ing, Levesque internally relies on structured safety and service standards; externally he turns to approved towing contractors. Left to right: Tom Engel, Brian Levesque, Jamie Wood, Lloyd Parks, Jim “We set a bar within our organization Mahan, Bill Sirois and Ron Sorel gather around this HPL 35 Series wrecker with a deck-mounted winch. to deliver what we consider a world-class level of service,” explains Ryan. To deliver train them in the proper procedure to Future growth such a high standard, AAA has instituted tow and service a car,” says Levesque.