Who Created the First Tow Truck?

In 1916 Ernest W. Holmes, Sr. mounted the industry’s first wrecker on the body of a 1913 Cadillac. He founded the Ernest Holmes Co. in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

How Come?

The story goes that he was inspired after he needed blocks, ropes, and six men to pull a car out of a creek. It was a wrecker with a lifting jib, after all this was 1916 and if you were in the ditch with your Model T or other similar classic car models, you were waiting for the kindness of strangers to help you out of the predicament you found yourself in. In 1917 he filed for a patent for his design with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. By late 1965 two-thirds of all wreckers in the industry were Holmes units.

Other Types of Equipment

There are 5 general types of tow trucks that are in modern-day usage, and usually, they are based on the type or size of the vehicle to be towed. We recently wrote more about this in our Interesting Facts About Tow Trucks blog.

Business Is Booming

Tow trucks are usually operated by small businesses, except for major highways and toll roads, where the road authority may operate the tow trucks for that stretch of road. It is common for heavy tow trucks to be used to clear semi-truck accidents and straighten out jackknifed trucks. Modern recovery companies will operate a wide range of vehicles for recovery and support.

Speedy G Towing is a family-operated business with integrated family core values like honesty and respect. We constantly remind ourselves of the value of keeping fair and competitive prices. Our ability to reliably provide fast, safe and professional services is what distinctively separates us from the typical towing company. Through our many years of experience, we have evolved our definition of true service. We have moved from equipping our employees with sufficient knowledge of towing vehicles, to also equipping them with the art of customer service.

Speedy G Towing specializes in light, medium, and heavy-duty towing. With the necessary and top-of-the-line equipment, we can tow anything from a passenger car to a semi-truck.

Speedy G Towing is a licensed and bonded Illinois corporation. Call Speedy G Towing if you are ever in a bind, and we’ll help you out: 847-844-1400.