The Chattanooga Wrecker Board has approved adding Conly’s Wrecker Service at 3834 Hixson Pike to the city’s rotation list in a second district. The owner, David Ratledge, told the board he has operated for 10 years in District 6 and is now expanding into Wrecker District 1.
His is not the only towing company wanting to expand their service areas. Since the Chattanooga City Council approved a rate hike that the Wrecker Board had recommended, Wrecker Inspector Officer Phil Moser has gotten calls from many other companies that want to participate on the city’s rotation list. On Thursday, the discussion of how many companies should be allowed to participate continued from the meeting two weeks ago.
This list is managed by a dispatcher who sends the next tow truck on the list in response to a call from law enforcement after a wreck occurs. The city is divided into six districts, each with their own list of wrecker companies, so they will be close to an incident and can get to the scene quickly to clear the roads.
There are currently 29 companies on the list as a whole. The area around East Brainerd and I-75 has eight companies operating, which is the most of any district. And some companies are on rotation in more than one district. Doug and Don Yates and Mosteller’s Wrecker each participate in three districts. A couple of other companies are on the list in two districts, said Officer Moser.
Until now, there has been no limit to the number of businesses that can participate or the number of districts that they can be in. The Wrecker Board is concerned that problems will occur with the system now with more companies requesting to be on rotation lists. The city has just one wrecker inspector and one dispatcher who has a back-up. Potentially there could be as many as 50, and if that is allowed, the city’s personnel and the system could be overburdened, said Board Member Ron Smith.
Because of the better compensation and all the interest that has generated, the Wrecker Board is discussing if there should be a cap set on the number of companies allowed on Chattanooga’s rotation list. Input is also being gathered from the towing industry itself and the public. During the last two weeks, Officer Moser contacted all wrecker companies in the city for opinions. He told the board that 12-13 responded and all of them preferred to limit the number.
But Board Member Cynthia Coleman said limiting the number of towing companies that would be allowed to participate would lock out new and smaller companies. Officer Moser responded that to be accepted a company is required to have at least one year of experience. He also said that companies can charge more for tows that do not come from the rotation list. He said that businesses often think that if they are accepted on the list that they will get more calls or a steady flow of business. That may or may not be the case, said Wrecker Inspector Moser. And the more participating, the fewer calls each one will end up receiving, he said.
Board Member Dan Mayfield agreed that the number should not be limited. He said competition will sort out the businesses that are successful. And he said companies on the city’s list are willing to take a big risk. For each district in which they participate, their business must have a physical office and storage lot, two licensed employees must be there and ready to go from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., they must have two equipped trucks at each location in each district where they are on rotation and insurance on it all. It is a big investment for the companies, said Mark Shackleford, owner of Shackleford Towing and Recovery.
Board Member Vince Butler said he agrees that a cap is needed because of staffing issues, but maybe limit the number of districts that a company can be a part of.