Frozen shoulders, tight yards, and a clock that never stops—this conversation dives into how real towing teams stay safe and sharp when the weather and the work stack the odds. We start with the small habits that compound into big wins: spare socks to fight moisture, warm hats and gloves to preserve judgment, and a plan to avoid the traffic side whenever possible. Those choices may sound simple, but they are the difference between a long career and a long recovery.

From there, we open up our next chapter of training. Partnering with the Cardinal Towing Legacy Group, we’re pairing hands-on recovery education with practical leadership coaching. When supervisors can brief clearly, delegate under pressure, and turn near-misses into team learning, crews run smoother and incidents drop. We also address the realities of urban towing—scarce storage, tight timelines, and constant traffic—by leaning into preplanning, precise communication, and disciplined rigging. Add ice or snow to that picture, and you need checklists, not guesswork.

We map out a packed schedule, including EV awareness modules, a two-day heavy-duty recovery series, and a multi-day advanced course in St. Louis built around loaded-unit scenarios and smart rotator use. If you’ve been waiting to level up your team’s technical skills—and their leadership—this is your moment. As we edge toward our 1,000th class, we’re grateful for everyone who has hosted, learned, and taught with us. The mission hasn’t changed: make the roadside safer, one well-trained operator and one well-led crew at a time.

Subscribe, share this with your team, and leave a review with your top winter safety habit—what’s the one practice you never skip on a cold call?

Roads close, fuel leaks, and everyone looks around for the team that can make the chaos stop. We sat down with Perry Beatty—a towing veteran turned hazmat innovator—to map the journey from $8 tows to rapid spill response, patents, and hands-on training that helps operators control scenes faster and safer. If you’ve ever wondered how a towing company can expand into environmental cleanup without losing focus, this story is your blueprint.

Perry walks us through separating the hazmat business for cleaner liability and brand clarity, then turning existing trucking clients into a ready customer base. We dig into the moment speed became strategy: authorities needed rapid response, and towers already lived by the phone. That mindset powers everything—from blocking storm drains to vacuuming product and documenting cleanups for insurers. Perry also shares the origin of FlowStop, his inflatable, chemical-resistant drain plug that converts storm drains into temporary containment and keeps fuel out of creeks and ponds.

Training takes center stage with a towing-specific approach to HAZWOPER and annual refreshers, plus a deep dive into cargo tank awareness. We cover grounding and bonding, safe transfer of Class 3 flammables, vapor control after offload, pick and lift points for uprighting, and why DOT data shows fuel hauler rollovers are far more common than most think. Perry’s mobile simulators bring it to life with water-based drills, dome clamps, pressure transfer, and real-world tactics that translate to the roadside. We’re teaming up for live classes in North Carolina and Alabama to blend hazmat procedure with recovery best practices so crews can handle both halves of a dangerous scene with confidence.

If you lead a towing team, manage safety, or want to build a spill response arm that actually responds, this is a must-listen. Subscribe, share with your crew, and leave a review to help more operators find these tools. Want in on the next class? Visit hazmatrn.com and hit Registration, or call 636-800-ATRI for details.

Ready to change how a towing company grows, leads, and earns trust? We sit down with Jeff Bauer, president of Cardinal Legacy Group, to unpack how a small A-to-B operation modeled itself after local giants, then earned the chance to carry those legacies forward through disciplined acquisitions in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Naples. The story isn’t just expansion—it’s the playbook behind it: align people to strengths, train for leadership at every level, and protect an industry’s reputation with daily, repeatable standards.

Jeff takes us inside the system that powered the jump from 11 trucks to a regional footprint. We dive into the leadership retreat in Cape Coral—two days focused on conflict resolution, temperaments, and practical tools influenced by John Maxwell’s principles. You’ll hear how a 10-minute survey saved a career by moving a struggling service writer into a high-performing accounting role, why blind spots quietly cap performance, and how to turn big-picture vision into steps your team can execute. It’s real talk about culture, safety, dispatch under pressure, and the habits that make professionalism visible to customers and partners.

We also connect the dots between values and growth. 2019’s $10M milestone became north of $60M within five years by multiplying leaders, not just locations. That kind of scale demands clear hiring profiles, onboarding that teaches judgment, and managers who coach rather than micromanage. Whether you run light-duty recoveries, heavy-duty rotations, or a service business outside towing, you’ll find a framework for building trust, reducing turnover, and delivering consistent results.

If you’re ready to remove blind spots, give your team a path, and lead with integrity, press play—and then share this with a manager who’s ready for the next level. Explore upcoming dates at CardinalLegacyTowing.com/backslash events, check our free deep dives on the American Towing and Recovery Institute YouTube channel, and subscribe to catch new trainings and conversations as they drop. Your move: what leadership habit will you build this week?

Want your team to run smoother and your stress to drop? We sat down with Cardinal Legacy Towing Group’s CEO, Kurtis Barks, to unpack a simple idea with outsized impact: put the right people in the right roles and teach leaders how to lead. From towing and recovery to body shops and insurance, the same patterns show up—great operators get promoted, then drown in management chaos. Kurtis walks us through the Trailblazer Leadership Retreat, a two-day, small-group experience built for owners and managers who need real tools, not vague motivation. Think role scorecards, decision frameworks, candid coaching, and a peer network that lasts.

We dig into the Culture Index and how a 10-minute survey can cut turnover, stabilize hiring, and reveal strengths you can actually use. You’ll hear how a struggling salesperson became a standout finance pro once his natural wiring had a place to shine. The results aren’t theoretical: better safety, fewer miscasts, faster onboarding, clearer meetings, and more resilient margins. We also talk about training that respects time—concise classrooms, more instructors, and a calendar of schools rolling out nationwide. If you’ve ever felt stuck working in the business instead of on it, this is your map out.

Beyond operations, we spotlight service and legacy. Kurtis shares the story of Guns and Hoses and BackStoppers in the St. Louis region, supporting families of fallen first responders with real, lasting help. That spirit is baked into the retreat’s design: small, practical, and people-first. Seats are limited to 30 for deep work and stronger connections, with priority access for attendees to bring their teams later in the year. Ready to swap firefighting for leadership that scales? Hit play, then grab your spot at amcosignup.org or call 636-800-ATRI. If this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who could use a win this year.

Ready for leadership you can actually use on a busy Tuesday? We sat down with Lieutenant Kyle from Wentzville, Missouri to unpack conflict resolution, trust-building, and communication habits that turn stressful moments into steady results. Drawing from policing and the towing industry, we explore how relationships—not checklists—carry teams through change, and how small, consistent actions create a culture where people feel heard, prepared, and accountable.

We break down conflict resolution as a proactive practice: give high performers a voice, set expectations in plain language, and use brief debriefs to convert chaos into learning. Trust becomes measurable when leaders align words and actions, close loops publicly, and build inclusive routines that invite input before decisions harden. If you’ve ever rolled out a change and watched it stall, you’ll get a simple framework for communicating the why, setting 30-60-90 milestones, and shipping quick wins that show progress without burning people out.

This conversation also zooms out to personal growth. We talk about writing a one-page vision, choosing three skills to build, and running a weekly review that keeps motivation alive after the kickoff fades. Whether you manage a tow fleet, run a shop, or lead a small business with a handful of trucks, these tools translate to the field, the office, and home. And if you’re ready to go deeper, we share details on the Trailblazer Leadership Retreat in Cape Coral—two focused days on communication, change leadership, and building high-performing teams with experts from law enforcement, private sector, and nonprofit leadership.

Subscribe to the show, share this episode with a teammate, and tell us the one leadership skill you’ll build first this year. Your feedback shapes future guests and topics—leave a review and join the conversation.

The first snowstorm of the season didn’t just test trucks—it tested systems. We sat down with Justin Thomas, operations manager at Lazer Tow in Kansas City and part of the Cardinal Legacy Towing Group, to unpack how teams managed ETAs when hills iced over, why side streets often beat clogged interstates, and what happens when real-world experience meets structured training. From the cab to the classroom, Justin brings a rare mix of heavy haul, RGN, and rail-sector instruction to show how safer methods and sharper decisions keep people and revenue protected.

We dig into the October training series that combined EV and alternative-fuel response, a one-day light-duty course, and a two-day heavy recovery program—scheduled to respect operators’ weekends and, yes, a Chiefs game. The surprise highlight: competitors sharing a room, swapping numbers, and leaving with common safety standards. With strong hosting by Lazer and local sponsor support, the classes turned into a blueprint for market-wide collaboration. Justin explains what stuck, from practical rigging choices to better traffic control, and how those changes speed up scenes without cutting corners.

Looking ahead, we spotlight a new three-hour leadership class aimed at frontline leads and managers who set culture on the lot and on the white line. Pairing leadership skills with updated EV protocols and field-proven heavy recovery techniques creates a balanced playbook: communicate clearly, plan smart, execute safely. We also talk instructor bench strength—why having trainers who still work real jobs keeps lessons current and honest. If you care about reducing risk, improving retention, and getting home safe, this conversation gives you next steps you can put to work tomorrow.

Subscribe, share this with a shop owner or operator who needs a lift, and drop a review to help more pros find the show. Got a guest idea or want to host a class? Call 706-409-5603 and let’s build the standard together.

A single dinner turned into a platform that now reaches more than 20,000 listeners—and the story behind it is packed with grit, heart, and field-tested lessons. We sit down with our friend and mentor, DJ Harrington—the Tow Doctor—to unpack how a path that once pointed toward the priesthood led through retail grind, Uniroyal hustle, and a world-class speaking career that has influenced the towing industry across continents. DJ’s stories are kinetic and practical: converting competitors into partners, reviving a legacy tire brand with creative branding, and transforming product “problems” into service bay traffic and loyal customers.

The conversation moves from business tactics to the deeper why. DJ shares a family table moment that changed how he saw leadership—numbers as families, decisions as futures. That perspective fuels everything we do at the American Towing and Recovery Institute and with the Cardinal Legacy Towing Group: train hard, teach safety, and build leaders who take care of their people. We also get real about health. DJ opens up about Guillain-Barré, CIDP, and the fight to adapt; Wes talks about Parkinson’s and the toughness it demands. The takeaway isn’t pity—it’s a playbook for resilience: processes and procedures, stacked with daily courage, protect teams in the field and at home.

You’ll hear how this show started, why we doubled down on great guests, and how live recordings at industry events turned our archive into a learning library. Expect stories from global stages, shout-outs to legends like Zig Ziglar and Lee Iacocca, and simple rules that help towers work smarter: prepare, pre-read, say yes to the moment, and convert every touchpoint into trust. If you care about safer recoveries, stronger businesses, and a community that shows up for each other, you’ll feel right at home here.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a teammate who needs a lift today. Your support helps us bring more training, more voices, and more practical guidance to the people who keep the roads moving.

A lot of folks think towing only makes the news when something goes wrong. We set out to change that story. In this conversation with Jeff Bauer, president of Cardinal Legacy, we dig into how leadership, culture, and smart growth can rebuild trust and turn good teams into great ones. From learning alongside respected operators to honoring their legacies through acquisitions, Jeff maps out how a people‑first strategy scales better than any fleet list.

We get specific. Jeff shares the simple survey he uses to align roles with strengths, including the tale of a “bad fit” service writer who became a star in accounting once the work matched his wiring. We unpack temperaments, conflict resolution, and the difference between managing tasks and leading people. You’ll hear how principles from mentors like John Maxwell and Zig Ziglar translate into shop reality—clear expectations, practical language, and a structure that turns blind spots into leverage. The result isn’t theory: the team went from a $10M operation to north of $60M by pairing professionalism with consistent training.

We also preview our two‑day leadership retreat in Cape Coral, Florida, built for towing pros and any leader who wants to grow. Expect sessions on blind spots, communication, hiring for strengths, and real‑world conflict tools led by voices from towing, law enforcement, and nonprofit leadership. If you’ve felt stuck on hiring, onboarding, or culture, this is your playbook to reset the year with clarity and momentum.

Want in on the training wave? Check dates and details at CardinalLegacyTowing.com/events, and catch our free deep‑dives on the American Tow and Recovery Institute YouTube channel. If this conversation sparked a new idea, subscribe, share it with a teammate, and leave a review to tell us the next leadership challenge you want us to tackle.