ERLANGER, Ky. — Towing companies across the Tri-State are preparing for one of their busiest weekends of the year as counties issue snow emergencies ahead of an expected winter storm that could dump at least 6 inches of snow on the region.
At Smith's Towing in Erlanger, crews work nearly around the clock, advertising "towing 23 1/2 hours a day" on their trucks.
"Dad started back in the 70s, and it stuck, and we've never gotten rid of it," said Wayne Smith, owner of Smith's Towing. "You know, you've got to have lunch, and that's a time we're not going to be disturbed."
Smith has been serving Northern Kentucky for 38 years. His company typically handles 20 to 30 calls a day. But when winter weather hits, that number often triples.
"You'll see that jump three times," Smith said. "And you're just going from call to call to call, just doing your best to keep up with the volume and the demands."
With 12 drivers and three office staff sharing duties like answering phones and responding to calls during severe winter weather events, Smith said the workload can become overwhelming.
"It becomes a time when you just have to shut them down. You just get so worn out and exhausted," he said.
WATCH: Smith's Towing braces for a busy winter response
Smith said that winter storm response happens in two distinct phases. Initially, crews deal with vehicles that have slid out and become stuck, often in the middle of roads, before they're cleared.
"It's just getting people out of the middle of the road or sliding off in a ditch or something like that," Smith said.
After the snow clears and roads become passable, the focus shifts to a different challenge: cars that won't start due to cold temperatures.
"For every — I always like to say below 20 degrees, your business increases 10%. You get below 15, it increases by about 25%. You get below single digits, and it'll ramp up to 100% volume," Smith said. "You'll be doing, instead of 25 to 30 calls a day, you'll be doing 50 to 60 calls a day."
With the expected snowfall of 8 to 10 inches, Smith anticipates several challenging days ahead.
"We'll have several days of just dealing with people, of just clearing the roads, and then after that, with the cold sub-zero coming in, the cars that didn't get moved will now be encased, and they have to all be winched out," Smith said.
The job comes with significant safety risks for towing crews, who work alongside traffic in hazardous conditions.
"To my knowledge, if you look up the towing and recovery industry, and you add the firemen and you add the police together, there are more tow truck drivers killed every year than both of those combined," Smith said.
He said he's had several close calls over the years, with drivers being hit while loading vehicles and having to jump over trucks to avoid collisions.
"I always am so concerned about them and slipping and sliding and getting a truck in a ditch, which has happened so many times over the years," Smith said. "We lay down in the snow, and you get back up, and now you're soaked and the temperature just eats you up."
Despite the challenges, Smith said he still enjoys the unpredictability of the work after nearly four decades.
"In 38 years of doing this, I've seen a lot of stuff, and even after 38 years, you still look forward to it, because you never know you're going to see something different," he said.
Advice for stranded drivers
For drivers who find themselves stranded despite warnings to stay home, Smith offers practical advice: be prepared and be patient.
"Make certain you put a blanket. Make certain you got, you know, water or something in the car with you, something to eat. You just don't know how many hours," he said.
Smith emphasized that response times will be longer during the storm due to increased volume and difficult travel conditions.
"As much as they can't go anywhere, we can't go anywhere. So getting somewhere and coming back just takes so much time," he said. "You call a tow truck, but now you're in line with everyone else, and sometimes we can't respond as quickly as we'd like to, but there's just so much volume."
His best advice? "Stay home unless you have to go."
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