TOWZ R US

Company: Towz R Us

Location: Wasilla, AK

Owner: Shelley Burt

Employees: 5 full time Towing Employees / 3 full time Automation Employees

Call Frequency: Winter = 40-60 calls a day/ Summer = 5-10 calls a day

Since 2018 Shelley Burt has owned and operated “Towz R Us” located in the remote town of Wasilla, Alaska, roughly an hour north of Anchorage. Shelley’s a third generation towing and rescue expert. Raised in the towing industry Shelley thinks of herself as a, “bad-ass” female tow-driver and business owner.

Shelly’s grandfather owned and operated the same shop she currently operates out of now. He began showing her the ropes of towing as soon as she could walk and had her behind the wheel by the time she was thirteen. However, Shelley’s grandfather preferred to give the towing jobs to the men even though she was more than capable of driving and towing on her own. After her grandfather fell sick a few years back, Shelley decided to purchase his operation and took control over the “hooks” of his legacy. It has been her life’s mission to prove to her family and local community that women can tow just as well as men can, if not better. Ironically, Shelley now leads and manages an all-male crew of five that has become its own, little family… and that family has its share of characters.

Andy is the staff’s class clown. He’s worked with the company for 10 months but has been a tow truck driver for 10 years. Prior to towing, he was a school bus driver, which he absolutely hated. He loves this line of work because no day is the same. Another “family member” is Nick, Shelley’s right-hand man. He drives the trucks, dispatches the calls and does traffic control. Whether its driving to the middle of nowhere for a late-night tow or being surrounded by a pack of hungry black bears, Nick is down to do whatever Shelly asks of him. Towz R Us even has a mascot in Shelley’s pup, “’Tiny’ the tow dog,” who rides along on every call and even has its own safety vest.

At Towz R Us the “office” is the truck, and working in Alaska means that there’s no such thing as an ordinary day. From off-road mountainside recoveries, to rescues during hazardous blizzards, to extreme encroaching wild life such as wolves and Grizzly bears, towing in Alaska is different than towing in any other part of the lower 48 states. Temperatures can easily reach well below 0 degrees dipping into the -40s. Frostbite and hypothermia can develop in a matter of minutes. Many recoveries take place hundreds of miles away from the closest town. Shelley and her crew operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they know that every time they step out of the truck that they are risking their lives.

Fleet:

2018 international 4300 rollback with side puller, rear diff lock, and 360 cameras

2018 international 4300 rollback

2017 Ford F650 rollback

2011 Ram 4500 4X4 Wrecker

2013 Ram 500 4X4 rollback

2005 Peterbilt 16 ton Wrecker

2011 Peterbilt Semi

2018 55 ton Landol with arctic package

2017 Jeep Cherokee service/traffic vehicle

2008 Ford F350 service/traffic vehicle also used to transport nonstandard items (hot tubs, hot wheels, office equipment....)

1985 Chevy 3500 custom built off road recovery unit

2017 Bob cat E55 excavator

2017 Loadtrail dump trailer

2016 Ram 3500

2018 Jeep Wrangler

x2 2014 Razr side by side