towPartners' Budget GPS Aids Recovery of $400K Tow Truck

Here's the story that was posted on PR.com:

BudgetGPS Service Used to Recover $400,000 Truck After Theft

Dallas, TX , May 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- On April 20, 2008, a 2007 Kenworth truck equipped with a Century XP-850 wrecker body was stolen from the Marlow’s Fuel Center truck stop in Dallas , TX . The truck was owned by Walnut Hill Wrecker, a WHW Towing Companies Company, based in Dallas , TX . The tow truck operator was off-shift and had parked the vehicle at the truck stop as was his customary practice.

The $400,000 towing and recovery vehicle was stolen from the parking area at the truck stop and was taken to a home in South Dallas where its parts and tools were being stripped. Using the BudgetGPS system from towXchange, the management of Walnut Hill Wrecker was able to notify police of the path of the truck and of its location when it stopped.

“It was amazing how accurate the BudgetGPS system was in locating our truck,” stated Jay Coldiron, Operations Manager for Walnut Hill Wrecker. “We installed the BudgetGPS system less than a year ago and though it pays for itself in many ways, this is the scenario you think about when you buy it. The system was able to pinpoint the actual address where the tools were removed and we were able to recover our truck.”

Mr. Coldiron went to the scene himself and was on-site when police recovered the truck. Using a BudgetGPS history report, Mr. Coldiron was able to play back the path the truck followed to determine where the parts had been removed and police were able to investigate that additional scene in an effort to recover the tools.

“We are proud that our system was able to aid in the recovery of this unit for Walnut Hill,” said Jeffrey Godwin , Vice President of BudgetGPS parent company, towXchange, Inc. “Our customers depend on the system for fuel savings and efficient routing of fleets but we all know that theft is a risk for commercial vehicles. Thankfully a minor investment can protect your biggest assets.”

The truck was recovered and is being returned to service as part of the Walnut Hill Wrecker fleet. The Sprint Nextel powered BudgetGPS system continues to track vehicles in fleets across the United States, prepared for the next truck routing, dispatching or even theft recovery.

See www.budgetgps.com for more information on BudgetGPS.

About BudgetGPS
BudgetGPS is a division of towXchange, Inc. and is a leading provider of vehicle tracking solutions to the towing and recovery industry. In February 2008, BudgetGPS expanded its operations to include offerings to all industries needing tracking services. The BudgetGPS application currently provides quality vehicle tracking solutions to companies of all sizes at very aggressive price points. BudgetGPS solutions are currently serving over 500 customers across the United States and extensive growth is planned for the system. To learn more about BudgetGPS, visit www.budgetgps.com.