There is a dark underbelly to every city, and one group of professionals spend most of their time lurking within. Unloved, unappreciated and mostly unseen: tow truck drivers. Join accomplished magazine columnist and 20-year towing veteran Aidan Coles as he blows the hood off the true story of what being a towman is.
Ever wondered why tow trucks seem to block the middle of a busy street in rush hour for no apparent reason? Or how tow truck drivers seem to always know exactly where the illegally-parked cars are? Or even what happens to those cars once they’ve been hauled away? This book reveals all, from high-speed impacts to high-jinks on scooters.
Take it from the author himself: “I’ve been the low boy all the way to general manager and have done every job in the industry including toilets. Yes, I’ve impounded a portable toilet.”
Promontory Press –
Never knew reading about tow truck drivers would be so much fun, or so instructive. I’ve only had to call one once, and I recall how stressed I was. Would he find me, especially after I mixed up the street names nearest my stopping point? Would he be nice? Would he be nasty? Would he overcharge me?
Good news: he found me, was nice, not nasty, and the fee was what I had been told by the dispatcher. Yeah! This book reminds the reader to BE NICE to these guys. Who else is going to get out of bed in the dark of night and plow through snow or rain or piles of mud to rescue perfect strangers?
– Kate Vale, Author
Promontory Press –
A breezy, boisterous read that taught me a lot about what goes on in the mean streets of the city. At times funny, at times tragic, this is an outstanding account from a real-life hero about what life is like in one of society’s least-appreciated professions. Highly recommended.
– Bennett Coles, Publisher
Promontory Press –
Who Knew? Certainly not me. Let’s just imagine that, despite all reasonable efforts to maintain your vehicle—timely brake jobs, tune ups, oil changes etc.—it suddenly decides to be unappreciative and for no reason that you can discern it quits. You are then forced to come to a stop on the shoulder of a major speed highway. Yeah, it could happen. So who you going to call? Not ghostbusters, that’s for sure. It’s the tow truck driver who will receive that call and it is he or she who will ride to the rescue. They are, as it turns out more than a bit heroic. These drivers see some very tight and tense situations which require access to considerable expertise. And sometimes people are thankful and sometimes not so much so. Life in the Fast Lane recounts many ‘real life’ situations and the reader sees the ‘good’, the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’. (sometimes the ‘really ugly’). The book is entertaining and stories are written in a colorful and humorful way. It is an easy read, an enjoyable book and such I certainly recommend it. Who knew about the lives tow truck drivers lead? Certainly not me. But now, I do.
– Randy, Goodreads Reviewer
Promontory Press –
Mention the word “tow truck driver” and most of us picture the burly guy with the five o’clock shadow who takes away your car cuz you parked it in the wrong place. Accidentally of course. Or you didn’t see the sign. So naturally he becomes the brunt of your anger. Other times, the tow truck driver might be the person who appears to rescue you from a broken down vehicle on a dark night and disappears again into the shadows. But have you ever really thought about what tow truck drivers do and what they experience? Aidan Coles writes the good, the bad and the ugly, straight up. Everything you wanted to know about tow truck drivers, including some things that had never crossed my mind. These guys deserve more credit and I will make a better effort to be kind when I encounter these road warriors. Cole’s writing is humorous and down to earth peppered with typical “towman” language.
Life in the Fast Lane was entertaining and informative.
– Rose Seiler Scott, Amazon Reviewer
Promontory Press –
One of the many things I love about reading is that if you pick the right book, a whole new world is opened up to you. This was the case for me with “Life In the Fast Lane”. What a fun and informative read about a realm I had no knowledge of. Thank you for cracking open the door in such an entertaining way.
– Lisa-Scarlett Cruji, Goodreads Reviewer
Promontory Press –
Everyone should read this little book to gain a greater appreciation for tow truck drivers.
The cool part was it was written by a local author about the roads in my hood … But that also means these accidents and assholes are also locals….
– Tracy Canuck, Goodreads Reviewer