Veneta resident and owner of Roger’s Towing, Lewis Rucker, is an affable man with a wide smile and a welcoming nature. But, when it comes to the safety of the drivers who work for him, he is dead serious. This is a dangerous business, he says, and a tow truck driver is killed on average every 5.8 days due to factors such as speed and driver inattentiveness. People need to slow down when they approach a tow truck with its lights flashing and/or move into the next lane.
Rucker, who purchased the business in 2019, also describes the tow truck business as “fun,” and “exciting,” as it is never known what sort of call will come in, when it will come in, and where the tow is needed. Open 24/7, Roger’s Towing gets calls around the clock and drivers must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, making it sometimes tricky to enjoy time with family. Originally a part of Max’s Tire and Towing Center, a long-time establishment on Highway 126, Roger’s Towing was operated by Roger Vazquez, son of owner Max Vazquez, who was also known for his easy-going demeanor. Tragically, Roger was killed in August of 1998 at age 37 while nearly back at the garage after going out on a late-night call to retrieve the impounded truck of a driver who had been arrested for DUI. In a case of cruel irony, the individual operating the truck that struck Roger was also driving under the influence of alcohol. Roger left behind a wife and several young children. In his memory, Max Vazquez erected a roadside cross decorated with artificial flowers, spring bulbs, and a live Christmas tree to denote the sacred spot where Roger drew his final breath, and his soul departed his broken body. Max would make near daily visits to be close to his son until he, too, joined him in heaven several years later. Since then, Roger’s Towing has changed hands several times and now, under Rucker’s ownership, has grown to encompass offices and yards in Veneta, Glenwood, and Albany after Triple A offered contracts Rucker was happy to assume. Recently, the business has gotten into the heavy portion of towing and to this end has become owner of the first factory-built rotator in Lane County, a source of great pride. This will make big jobs and wrecks where a vehicle is over a guardrail much easier to contend with as the boom can rotate 360 degrees and only one lane of traffic will need to be blocked. The rotator can be operated by remote control and Rucker describes it as a “very complicated piece of equipment.” Roger’s Towing has a fleet of 35 trucks total of various sizes, and it specializes in off-road recovery that other companies either won’t or can’t do as they don’t possess the necessary equipment. Other companies also don’t answer their phone after a certain time, something Rucker finds difficult to comprehend. “I tell my guys, when we get a call, you go now. If that was your wife, kids, would you want then to wait?” he says matter-of-factly. Rucker also sees to it that the extra mile is gone in cleaning up debris from accident scenes and rides being given to get someone home. This has taken drivers as far as Portland and, once, a couple and their three dogs were driven from I-5 to their home in Bellevue Washington. “Whatever people need, we will try to take care of,” Rucker states. “When people have been in an accident, their world is turned upside down.” Rucker recounts the time an out of state couple rented a jeep and drove along logging roads in the Coast Range in Benton County, unaware of how treacherous Oregon’s roads can be. After becoming stuck at the end of one particular road, the couple had to be located by Search and Rescue who then notified Roger’s Towing. It took Rucker and his drivers 12 ½ hours to retrieve the rented jeep using come-alongs as well as chainsaws to remove logs that were in the way, but in the end, the jeep suffered no damage and was returned to the rental company in the same condition it was rented in. Fatality accidents are naturally the worst, Rucker says, but taking vehicles into impound because the driver has been arrested for DUI, has no insurance or has been driving while suspend can be tricky too if the driver wants to come to retrieve their belongings from the vehicle in question and is told no. Often, they become angry and blame Roger’s Towing for sticking to established protocol. It’s a different lifestyle, this tow truck driving. If a driver is having a BBQ with family and a call comes in, they must go. By the time they return, dinner is likely done, and the food is either eaten or cold, but this is a part of the life that has been accepted. When the ice storm hit, they chained up and went without hesitation to aid those who had lost control on the slick roads. Over three days only 6-8 hours of sleep was to be had, but the sacrifice was made willingly. All that is asked in return is for people to show courtesy and realize that drivers have lives and families they want to go home to. It’s not much to ask for all they do. A simple lane change, a decrease in speed while passing by, paying attention to surroundings, it’s a small gesture in the scheme of things, but to a tow truck driver in harm’s way, it’s the difference between life and death.
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