How A Myrtle Beach Towing Owner Pushes For A Police Tow Rate Increase

A tow contract that hasn’t changed since 2012 sounds harmless until you price a new truck, renew insurance, fuel up, and try to hire a solid driver who will do the job safely at 2 a.m. That’s the pressure behind our conversation with returning guest Rick Rayner from Quality Towing and Service Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.We walk through how police authorized tow rates can get stuck for a decade while the cost of doing business keeps climbing. Rick explains what “max fees” do to real-world scenes, why “just absorb it” is not a plan, and how rate neglect eventually shows up as slower response, older equipment, and a harder time keeping skilled operators. He also shares what it takes to get traction locally: showing up, building relationships, and being willing to be the squeaky wheel when everyone else stays quiet.You’ll hear a clip of Rick speaking directly to city council, laying out the basics any municipality should understand about towing and recovery services: capital investment, liability exposure, wages, and the need for sustainable pricing to keep roads safe and traffic moving. We also touch on practical tools, including how he used AI to help draft a more polished statement before delivering it in his own voice.We close on the human side of the towing industry by honoring three lives lost this week and reading “The Dash,” a reminder that our work is about more than invoices and contracts. Subscribe for more towing industry news and interviews, share this episode with your crew, and leave a review so more towers can find the show.