JERR-DAN: What do you see as the most important challenges facing the towing and recovery industry today? And can you suggest a solution?
STACIE HARRIS: Well, the main one is going to be boring, because everyone is saying the same thing, in all kinds of industries. But I have to say labor. That is, I wish I had more trained, or just trainable, people to interview for jobs that come open. More people willing to work, wanting to work. You can make good money in this business if you make it a career. As for a solution, I wish I had one! I do think we, as an industry, could be targeting more women as potential hires, though.
JERR-DAN: Are there any other trends that concern you?
STACIE HARRIS: I’m not sure I can suggest a solution to this one.
I was out on a run today and I saw three or four different semis driving unprofessionally. In this case, they were crossing and re-crossing the white lines. This is something that all of us here have noticed, and it could be a coincidence, but we’ve also seen a lot more accidents involving 18-wheelers.
I would say that over the past 5-10 years there's been a noticeable spike in the number of incidents that were actually the fault of the professional driver. When I think back, years ago, I feel like it was more common to see a big-rig accident be the result of a car cutting them off or a genuine accident like a blown-out tire.
JERR-DAN: Do you have any idea why you are seeing this change?
STACIE HARRIS: I think it goes back to the labor shortage that is affecting everyone. We’ve all seen in the news that transportation companies are very short on drivers—a lot of the most experienced ones retired during the COVID years. And in some states, an 18-year-old can get a CDL. I’m not attacking these young drivers; I’m just saying that the average experience level of a professional semi driver seems like it has gone way down. That leads to more accidents, and that requires towers to have bigger, more capable equipment.
Founded in 1995 by Ron Harris, Prime Towing of Holladay, Tennessee, is owned and operated today by Ron and his daughter Stacie.