Keeping a Good Thing Going

By George L. Nitti 

Sometimes new ownership entails a shakeup in operations. But then again, a new owner may opt for a more hands off approach, working hard to keep things running smoothly while identifying those things to grow.  

For Matthew Saskin, the new owner of East Coast Towing, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the latter was the case. He purchased East Coast, with a fleet of approximately 30 wreckers, in December of 2022, and has sought growth without a major shakeup in operations. 

One area that he has sought to maintain are their tow truck graphics. At the time of acquisition, East Coast had already been in the process of transitioning from a pink design to a modernized blue and yellow design, which has been ongoing over the last three years. 

“I personally really like the design. The feedback from drivers, the community, and everyone is that they really like it too. It’s eye catching,” said Saskin. “We may as well continue it because there is no reason to change it.” 

Furnishing 30 trucks with new graphics, however, is a big hit on the bottom line, requiring the company to pay not only for the expense of wrapping the trucks, but paying for the time the truck sits idle. Thus far the company has transitioned seven of their trucks from the old pink design to their newer “camoflaged” one. 

“We will standardize the rest of our fleet as time and budget permit,” added Saskin. 

Recently their acquisition of a 2023 Peterbuilt 337 Jerr-Dan flatbed was wrapped, exemplifying the direction they are headed in terms of promoting a consistent brand. 

Wrapped in a blue and white camouflaged pattern all over the Peterbuilt chassis, the unit stands out rather than disappears. Perhaps because there is nowhere to hide on the open road, and trying to hide behind a design just makes you stand out even more. 

This particular unit has an even and balanced composition along with artistic flourishes, like the broken and scratched lines within the blue and yellow color schematic, adding contour and nuance to the camouflaged pattern.” 

Saskin said, “It’s fairly distinctive compared to our competitors.” 

With a fleet composed of 97% Jerr-Dan units, Saskin says “It makes it a lot easier to have consistency across the board in terms of maintenance as well. We want to keep things running smoothly and identify things to grow.”