Honoring the 100 Year Anniversary of the Towing Industry

Honoring the 100 Year Anniversary of the Towing Industry

Honoring the 100 Year Anniversary of the Towing Industry

Congressman Charles J. Fleischmann
Congressional Record: 114th Congress
Extensions of Remarks
6 September 2016

HON. CHARLES J. ``CHUCK'' FLEISCHMANN of Tennessee in the House of Representatives
Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the invaluable contributions of the towing and recovery industry in the United States, the Towing and Recovery Association of America, the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum, towing associations around the world, and the members of those towing associations, and to celebrate them.

In 1916, Ernest Holmes built the first twin boom wrecker in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for use in his own garage and later agreed to build and sell the units to others;

The first production wreckers were known as ``680's'' because they cost $680;

In service to the United States, the Ernest Holmes Company supplied the W-45 military wrecker for use during World War II;

In 1959, the Ernest Holmes Company patented its first tow sling and car dolly;

In the early 1970's, Gerald Holmes built the first hydraulic towing equipment, an advancement in the industry;

In 1995, the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum was established in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the birthplace of the tow truck;

In 2003, the Museum, having outgrown its original home, moved to 3315 Broad Street in Chattanooga;

In 2006, the Museum officially dedicated the Wall of the Fallen, the first monument in the industry to honor towing operators killed in the line of service;

In the United States, there are more than 35,000 tow companies and hundreds of thousands of individuals employed in the towing industry, including tow truck operators, dispatchers, safety advisors, and owners;

More than 1 tow truck operator is killed every 6 days assisting motorists on the roadways of the United States;

Tow truck operators respond to nearly 15,000,000 accidents per year across the United States;

Tow truck operators are an indispensable part of keeping the United States moving by keeping the highways of the United States clear and open for travel;

Most highway crashes require assistance from tow truck operators;

The people of the United States have a duty to drive safely and be courteous toward fellow motorists on the roadways as the people of the United States work together toward the common goal of reducing fatal accidents;

The week of September 9 through September 16, 2016, would be an appropriate week to designate as ``National Towing Industry Awareness Week'' and recognize the 100th anniversary of the tow truck, and support the designation of ``National Towing Industry Awareness Week'', to be held in conjunction with the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum Induction Ceremony and the Wall of the Fallen Ceremony, each of which is held annually at the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and encourage the people of the United States to observe the move over and slow down laws in the United States.