Snow storm lead to increased tow truck traffic

In the wake of the latest snowstorm, road assistance services have become a hot commodity in St. Joseph.

Inclement weather conditions have created more requests for towing, car battery jump starts, tire changes and other needs.

The biggest obstacle local towing companies face is ice and snow-covered roads paired with traffic patterns throughout the City of St. Joseph.

“The worst part of it is, is the traffic,” Midwest Tow and Auto Services operator Zach Boots said. “If your car gets stuck on the side of the road, it may take us a day to be able to get to it due to how bad the weather is.”

With the surplus of incoming road assistance requests, all the tow truck companies in the area have assisted eachother when additional help or resources have been needed.

“If we show up on a crash site and theres another towing company there, we lend a hand to each other,” Boots said. “We help each other load and clean up the jobsite to try to make traffic resume as fast as we can.”

While helping customers with their cars, the tow truck drivers have been conscious of protecting themselves in potentially unsafe locations.

“We try to be as safe as we can,” Manager of Midwest Tow and Auto Services Eric Watson said. “Especially when we are pulled over on the side of the road, we make sure to have our road markers up. Just the other day, we had somebody nick one of the side mirrors on our tow truck. It can be dangerous out there.”

Even as the snow begins to melt, the frigid roads will remain and with them, the need for additional roadside assistance will be even more essential.

“We’re constantly busy, even without the weather being bad,” Boot said. “We’re constantly moving and everything, so we can always use help.”