Simple to the Core

Sometimes keeping it simple with the graphics on your tow truck garners more attention simply because people understand simple. A couple of basics include having your company name and phone number visible for all to see.Since most people see one side of your truck or the other when they are driving on the road, having your name and number located on the side is important. Although you may have a great concept and wonderful graphics to accompany your vision for your trucks, if someone can’t remember the name of your company, you may have lost an opportunity for business. Multiply that by the number of drivers that pass by on a major freeway and consider some of the business that may be passing you by.This week I discovered one truck that exemplifies simple to the core. It’s a 1947 GMC that was turned into a tow truck. Purchased by Joseph Kolodziej of Joe’s Towing and Recovery in Largo, Fla., in 1953 and beautifully restored in 2009, Joe wanted to make a wrecker way back when and did it himself, welding the sockets, adding the steel rods, pipe, ratchets and winches, and used the truck for many years.“If we needed it now, we could still use it,” said Joe.It’s bright red color and simple graphics make it memorable. White against red always works—just ask any fire department. Joe’s company name, “Joe’s,” is visible for all to see on the front, back and side, in a classy script font of the ’50s era that hearkens back and stirs up memories of TV shows like “Happy Days” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” What they do - “Towing and Recovery” - is also visible. The phone number is easy to find and read and we also discover that Joe’s business operates around the clock, with his towing service going 24 hours a day. And then there is a simple logo on the bottom front fender and boom that reads, “Helps – A- Comin.”“I’ll tow anything from a wheel barrow to a tank,” Joes said. His fleet includes 18 trucks run by 10 full-time employees.Joe’s business is going strong despite several personal setbacks to his health just in the last year. The good news is that next month Joe, 73, will be inducted into the Towing Hall of Fame in Chattanooga, Tenn., in part for his many years of exemplary service and for his particular interest in training firefighters to use extrication tools. He donates 800 to 1,000 cars a year to the fire department so that they can practice using those tools.“If I can save one life through this action—by showing these guys how to use these tools properly, quickly and staying within the golden hour to get these people to the hospital—that’s all that counts to me,” Joe said.