SAN ANTONIO — Ramiro “Ram” Gonzalez says the towing industry can be vilified, but it’s a wide industry. There’s private property towing and heavy rig towing.  

What You Need To Know

  • Ramiro Gonzales, a professional roadside assistance driver, says the profession comes with a great deal of danger

  • Texas has a law in place called Move Over or Slow Down

  • The law stipulates that drivers must move over a lane or slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit when approaching emergency vehicles, tow trucks or law enforcement vehicles 

  • Violators can face a fine of up to $2,000, if a crash occurs

 

“Then you got roadside assistance is what I do, and I pick up people from the side of the road and try to help people stranded,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez has been in the business for eight years and owns R&N towing. He says the first thing he does is give stranded drivers an honest time frame for his arrival. 

“I feel if I can communicate with the customer and tell them I’ll be there in 30 minutes, I’ll be there in two hours,” Gonzalez said. “That gives the customer or the person that is stranded time to move around, negotiate, maybe they can walk inside the shopping mall of where they are at.”

Before Gonzalez did roadside assistance, he honestly didn’t know how dangerous it could get. He simulated a call for Spectrum News 1 to show what it’s like picking up a vehicle from the side of a busy highway. 

“It wasn’t until I was behind the wheel and that first time you show up and you’re picking up on an exit ramp or on a bridge that it gets real sketchy up there,” Gonzalez said. 

That’s why Texas created Move Over or Slow Down, a law that requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when approaching emergency vehicles, law enforcement, tow trucks and construction workers.

Dozens of cars zoomed passed Gonzalez as he towed the stranded pickup truck on San Antonio’s Northside — an issue he says many roadside assistance tow truck drivers deal with. 

“I personally feel that the public doesn’t have the same respect for tow truck drivers and construction workers that they do for law enforcement or fire department,” Gonzalez said. 

Drivers who don’t give emergency and work crews space to safely do their jobs can be fined $200, and if there is a crash that results in injured workers, drivers can be fined up to $2,000.

But Gonzalez feels like there’s more that needs to be done to educate drivers. 

“Driving test, defensive driving when they get their licenses,” Gonzalez said.