but Bob, they have had several episodes when they have been cancelled off a call by local law enforcement, one where the driver (I think it was Joe) was even complaining about "politics". I haven't got the impression that they are a favored tow company at all, simply in rotation and sometimes put in service when they can't respond quickly enough.
A couple of episodes earlier an insurance guy commented on damage to a pickup recovered from the water (season two epidode 12) and sure enough, though they might not have talked about it, it was clear that dragging the truck over a chunk of ice did big damage to both the windshield and the roof that buckled!
The company owners live well because it is a multi-million dollar operation with 4 dozen drivers earning them money - that's real life. (though we dont get to see their books, I bet they are hugely in debt with all those big rigs and the new headquarters which I noticed, unlike American Choppers, they had in the works before they got any fame from TV).   See 5 other replies

I was just echoing my observations on the net. They live really well for just a manual labor occupation (along with others -- painters, electricians, plumbers). I think their involvement in law enforcement issues has more to do with contract negotiations. We also don't see other companies in this series, so it could be that O'Hare is paying in part or whole for the series as it greatly increases their positive reputation. You don't see any bad jobs or jobs where they damage something these should not. Never damaging a vehicle seems a bit unrealistic... (just how the COPs show never shows cops making obvious mistakes when it happens in real life) so the show is really skewed and I don't know how much it is really worth.   See 5 other replies

I love this series. I am a tow truck driver and as far as I can see whatever they charge has to be what they are worth. As far as overcharging on certian jobs, there is a differance between breaking down on the way home from work and driving around to see how bad the snow storm is. you don't think I'll pay the rent with stupid peoples money?   See 5 other replies

Our home office is based out of the Chicago area. And I've been to the area several times. This boils down to a matter of choices. There are PLENTY of owner operators and towing companies in the Chicago area. If you feel their price is to high? It's your right to look elsewhere, and use a different company. They do get a lot of calls from the local law enforcement, which points towards them being rated/certified by the City as a "Fair" company to work with (as in--as little damage as possible, with fair and reasonable charges for services). Put this into perspective. The one idiot that got his car stuck so badly in the mud, that it required a wench pull?--The one that had a full hairball about the cost? I had to get my own mini van wench pulled out of the mud. Took the operator about 30 minutes start to finish. The charge was MORE then they would charge!! But they did a quality job, from start to finish...didn't ding the paint, and where extremely professional.You get what you pay for. You want the job done right? You're willing to pay a bit more to ensure it's done right!   See 5 other replies

Maybe they come thru as a bit higher priced, but episodes show the training, vehicle recovery with 0 damage and speed of responses that it's a case of you get what you pay for. So the show just highlights that O'Hare seems to get it done right.   See 5 other replies