Hogg hooked on towing: After 17 years, tow truck driver Rob Hogg still looks forward to work each day.
Advancenews (Langley)
Friday, December 1, 2006
Page: 40
Section: News
Byline: Darren Fleet
Source: AdvanceNews
It has been a hard day’s night and he has been sleeping like a Hogg. And that is a good thing, because the phones have been ringing off the hook all week at his work place, Clover Towing.
“We have about 30-50 calls holding at all times,” said Clover dispatcher Sheri Beldam. For Beldam, a typical busy day has only six or seven calls in line.
“It has been crazy,” she added.
Hogg came highly recommend to the Langley Advance as the “quintessential tow truck driver,” by his Clover Towing Boss, Kit Moller.
Hogg happily obliged to invite a community reporter for a two hour ride in his tow truck to give an added perspective as the forecast continues to wreak havoc on Langley motorists.
When Hogg was not rolling in the snow to help clients, this likable red-haired gentleman was rolling in laughter as he shared about the ins-and-outs of the tow truck business. He did not disappoint.
The first call of the day was a quick “boost.” A driver near Sears was having ignition troubles. Hogg connected a portable battery to the man’s battery and sent him on his way.
Despite their reputation for towing vehicles, towing is only as small part of what Hogg does.
The second call was an event that happens more often than readers would think: an unmarked white police SUV in the ditch.
“We have the contract for Langley City,” said Hogg, which means that emergency vehicles call Clover when they have an everyday mishap.
After a few quick turns, Hogg found the officer, and winched his SUV back into service so it could return to fighting crime. SUV’s are the most common vehicles found in the ditch this time of year, said Hogg, and the police are not immune.
“What a shock,” said out of province Constable Eric Stebena, “everybody was saying that there was no snow in the Lower Mainland.”
Having a healthy relationship with police is an essential part of the job, said Hogg. Emergency vehicles receive priority service, and in turn, tow truck drivers get the occasional off-the-record break from the occasional traffic violation.
“The best is when they have locked their keys in the cruiser,” said Hogg with a chuckle. “They don’t want to tell dispatch about it.” Police are often more than a little embarrassed when Hogg rolls up to break into their vehicle, legally.
Interacting with the community is one of the things Hogg appreciates the most about his job – that and being able to support his family.
Hogg, 41, has two soon-to-be step-children as well as a daughter, Cheyenne, of his own. They, along with his longtime girlfriend, Tracey, are what gets him out of bed in the morning – that and the opportunity to see some typical B.C. scenery.
With a job like his, Hogg faces the elements daily.
“We’re in B.C., it snows and it rains,” he said, “but at the end of the day you have a home to go to that is nice and dry.”
Sharing the events of his hours behind the wheel with his family are joyful a part of his life.
His soon-to-be step son William idolizes tow trucks, Hogg said, and the two are avid fans of the character, Mater, in the popular animation film Cars.
He also looks forward to the beautiful scenery and is thankful that he has a job that keeps him outdoors and interacting with the public.
“The more I do this, the more I think, how can people sit in offices?” he said.
But like any job, tow truck driving has its ups and downs.
The worst is when his truck is called to a fatal accident scene, he said, and part of the job is learning how to turn certain emotions off.
“It gets to you a little bit,” he said, although he has come to view situations like that as part of the job.
Hogg was one of the drivers called to the recent fatal crash on 192nd St. when a car lost control in the snow and collided with a Clover Towing truck.
He was the first to be told by police that the Clover driver was not at fault, and Hogg immediately relayed the information to home office, he said.
Still, any accident, regardless who is at fault, can shake a person up and a driver always asks himself whether or not he could have done something different, he added.
Thankfully, not all calls are like that one.
A driver gets between 10 and 15 calls a day, said Hogg, and include towing, boosting, and, of course, retrieving keys that have been locked in vehicles. He has he even been called to a few “baby-locked-in car” dispatches over the years.
The last call of the day was to help longtime Langley resident and driver, George Whipps, out of a ditch on 64th Ave. Whipps had a perfect driving record until this week’s storm.
“I am so surprised,” he said.
Whipps did not expect to end up in the ditch at a whopping speed of 10-km an hour.
“It happens to all good drivers,” he said.
Hogg used his truck’s large cable winch and whipped Whipps out in no time.
The key to the job is incentive and hard work, said Hogg.
“Anybody can drive a tow truck,” he said, but not everyone can be a tow truck driver.
“You gotta like to work and you gotta be able to think. I’m a clown, but I am also serious,” he added.
“I enjoy my job and I like to think that I do my job well. I take a lot of pride and I treat peoples cars like my own.”
One thing that was missed during the short drive-along was a chance to actually tow a vehicle from one destination to another. That is because during weeks like the one just past, tow truck drivers get a chance to play the hero much more than the enforcer.
Most people expect tow-truck drivers to be “greasy, slimy, long-haired, bearded guys who are only there to tow you way,” said Hogg, but he insists that is untrue. “We’re counselors, shoulders to cry on, comedians, and a whole bunch of other stuff.”
As the weather continues its unexpected turns, Hogg urges drivers to slow down and keep their distance.
“I got two speeds,” said Hogg with a smile, “and if you don’t like this one, you won’t like the other one.”
While Hogg makes a living towing, winching, opening and jumping vehicles, he would much rather see people behind the wheel than behind his truck.
Illustration:
• Photo: Darren Fleet, Langley Advance / Ditching your car during poor weather can be a horror. Thankfully, Rob Hogg is on call, with hook and all, for the rescue.
• Photo: Darren Fleet, Langley Advance / “It is like a licence to print money,” said Rob Hogg. During the week’s weather mayhem, most of his time was spent on simple, but essential, calls pulling cars out of the snow.
Idnumber: 200612010028
Edition: Final
Story Type: News
Length: 1104 words
Illustration Type: Black & White Photo
