TWO TOWING FIRMS PULL TOGETHER

Two local towing companies have merged to create the largest fleet of wreckers in the state.Prairie Land Towing & Service Center of Sun Prairie and Mike's Towing of Madison have combined operations and will now have 66 tow trucks between them.

Terms were not disclosed but the two companies will continue to operate under their own names. "It's going to be a good deal for both of us," said Todd Menzel, whose late father Gary founded Prairie Land in 1984. "Every time you'd drive down the Beltline, you'd see one of their trucks going the other way. Now we don't have to compete."

Mike Disch, who founded Mike's Towing in 1991, agreed the move makes sense for both companies. "We're super busy so this will take some of the pressure off," he said. Disch got into the towing business in 1991 when he purchased a used tow truck. Since then, the company has grown to 15 employees and a fleet of 28 trucks.

Mike's Towing had the lucrative city of Madison towing contract for three years until October 2006, when it was awarded to Schmidt's Auto for the west side and Prairie Land for the east side. Schmidt's now does all the city towing, according to Madison Police spokesman Joel DeSpain. Prairie Land Towing is a division of the Wisconsin based corporation Menzel Enterprises, Inc., with locations in Sun Prairie, Madison and Dodgeville.

The oldest towing company in Madison is Schmidt's Auto, 1621 Beld St., now operated by the family's third generation. It was founded here in 1937 and operates a fleet of about 20 trucks. John Schmidt said the merger shouldn't affect his company's business. Schmidt's Auto had the city towing contract for over 30 years until it was awarded to Mike's three years ago.

"We tend to do most of our work with municipalities," he said. "I think those guys are doing more with the motor clubs." Schmidt's is paid $30 by the city for each tow, DeSpain said. It towed 635 vehicles off the streets at rush hour in October, he said. Mike DeHaan of the Wisconsin Towing Association said the merger would have more impact on the Madison area than the state as a whole.

"Most towing business is still pretty local," he said. "You're generally working in a constrained area."

The Wisconsin Towing Association, a division of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, was established in 1967 as a nonprofit trade association to represent the interests of towing and recovery operators within the state.

DeHaan said the biggest issue for the towing industry is to protect drivers from roadside accidents. He noted that the state's "move over" law passed in 2003 requires drivers to give police, maintenance workers and others extra room to work.

According to the law, drivers must move over a lane if possible or slow down if changing lanes is not safe when encountering a law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, fire truck, tow truck, utility vehicle or highway construction vehicle stopped on the side of the road with its lights flashing.