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NEW Hitting the Jackpot in Vegas: Zip’s AW Direct Showcases Innovation at the 2026 Towman ShowPlace
Some people believe luck comes from a number, a horseshoe, an animal foot or even a four-leaf clover. But luck is the last thing you need when you ...
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NEW Meet an Expert: Cody Schmitt, Mechanic Lead for Zip’s Small Wrecker Shop
Like most farm kids in Iowa, Cody Schmitt grew up with a wrench in his hand and a pair of pliers on his belt. He helped out where he could, repairing ...
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Waterproof Lighting
Grade school science class taught us water and electricity don’t mix, so how do headlights, marker ...
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Put your energy into one dual-voltage jump pack from Zip’s AW Direct
For towing companies, trucking fleets and heavy-equipment operators, the tools you rely on every ...
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Leading with Expertise: Zip’s AW Direct Service Awards
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa—Zip’s AW Direct is proud to recognize 21 outstanding employees who reached ...
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Meet an Expert: Carol Anderson, Parts Technician
Working at Zip’s AW Direct for nearly two decades, Carol Anderson has had the opportunity to visit ...
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Zip’s AW Direct Welcomes Johnnie Manier to Equipment Sales Team
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa – Zip's AW Direct, a leading provider of heavy-duty wreckers, rotators, car ...
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Kevin Andera - Sales Rep.
Zip’s Truck Equipment Welcomes Kevin Andera as New Equipment Sales Specialist for Wisconsin
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Servicing your hydraulic system for long-lasting performance
A maintenance item often overlooked is servicing the hydraulic system on car carriers and tow ...
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Tow Truck Pre-Trip Checklist
Why should you do it? The primary reason is we all want to sleep in our own bed at night!
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A Deeper Dive into Tow Operator PPE
Who doesn’t love a well-dressed man or woman, especially when it comes to safety gear, commonly ...
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Best Practice for Post Recovery or Accident. Don’t Forget a Truck Wellness or Inventory Check on your Wrecker
Let’s take a few minutes to review our post-recovery truck wellness check and maybe review our own ...
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What to Expect at the 2025 Baltimore Tow Show
What Is the American Towman Exposition? When I first started working in the towing industry, I had ...
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Dash Cameras: Why and where they are needed.
As we all know, rear view cameras have become the norm and almost a standard option on every tow ...
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Understanding the Basics: Cone Types, Sizes, and Colors
Traffic cones are one of the most common—and commonly misused—tools in traffic control. At first ...
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Zip's Truck Showcase: Trinity Towing
Truck Details: 2024 Ram 4500 Vulcan 810 Wreckers Company: Trinity Towing Sales Rep: Cole Schmitt ...
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You Make It Look Easy: Lessons from Two Days of WreckMaster Training
There’s a quote by Ken Griffey Jr. which has always stuck with me: “Just because I made it look ...
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Compliance Is the Answer: Billing with Confidence When Using the Firebox
As towing professionals, you operate in one of the most dynamic and demanding industries in ...
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Zip’s Truck Showcase: M&W Towing
Truck Details: Freightliner M2 Century 12 Series LCG Carriers Company: M & W Towing, Rapid ...
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Zip's Truck Showcase: A&J Towing
Truck Details: 2025 Freightliner Vulcan V30 Wrecker Company: A & J Towing , O‘Neill, NE Sales ...
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Zip's Truck Showcase: Kelle Sheehan Towing
Truck Details: 2024 Kenworth T880 Century 5130 Wrecker Company: Kelle Sheehan Towing Sales Rep: ...
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Top 5 Mistakes When Buying a New Car Carrier
You have a lot to consider when purchasing a new car carrier for your business. Bed length, truck ...
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Zip's Top 10 Accessories for Your Service Truck
Providing top-tier roadside service begins with having the right tools for the job. With so many ...
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Zip's AW Direct Honored as Patriotic Employer
Zip’s AW Direct was honored recently as a Patriotic Employer by the U.S. Department of Defense for ...
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Zip's AW Direct Announces Dolooma Partnership
Dolooma and Zip’s AW Direct Announce Strategic Partnership to Transform Towing Industry Operations ...
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Zip’s AW Direct Introduces SafeAll Ping for Enhanced Roadside Safety
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa – Zip’s AW Direct, a premier distributor of trucks, parts, and accessories for ...
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Best Vehicle Lockout Kits
Doesn’t matter who locked the keys inside the car. What matters is what you’re going to do to get ...
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Zip's AW Direct Acquires GUNI Products
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa–Zip’s AW Direct, a leading distributor of trucks, parts and accessories to the ...
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Top 10 Products from 2024
At Zip’s AW Direct, we don’t like to stand around with our hands in our pockets. We’re always on ...
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How To Choose & Use a Vehicle Jack
Whether you get a flat tire on the road or you want to perform basic car maintenance in your shop, ...
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Zip's Customer Spotlight: Pulver Towing, Rochester, MN
The Schafer family from Minnesota has been towing so long, their first tow truck from the 1920s had ...
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Zip's Customer Spotlight: Tel-Wick Towing, Taylor, MI
Tel-Wick Towing and Zip’s AW Direct are practically neighbors in the Detroit suburb of Taylor, MI. ...
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Meet an Expert: Brian McDermott
Brian McDermott's career with Zip's began with a humble summer job washing trucks between his ...
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Zip's Customer Spotlight: Collins Brothers Towing of St. Cloud
Central Minnesota native James Trantina has built quite a towing empire in the Upper Midwest. From ...
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Zip's Customer Spotlight: Tow King, Waco, TX
Gary Hoffman didn't need to see a guidance counselor in high school. He knew what he wanted to do ...
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How to Maintain Your Winch
Proper care can save your equipment and save you money. With the right maintenance, you can ensure ...
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Meet an Expert: Mike Bucknell
Mike Bucknell knows a thing or two about wreckers. A 30-year Zip’s employee, he started working on ...
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Which Shackle Is Right For You?
There are so many shackles out there that it can be hard to figure out the right one for you. ...
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Zip's Spotlight: Grand Valley Towing
Steve Vroma never planned on growing his tow company to the level it’s at now. He was content ...
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Chain Binders
Chains are great for cargo securement, but you need to be sure it stays tight while on the move. ...
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How to Fix or Change a Tire
When on the road, anything is possible. One of the most common issues is when you’re driving down ...
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Meet an Expert: Brittany Rymas
This month’s 'Meet an Expert' highlights Brittany Rymas. Brittany began working at Zip’s AW Direct ...
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Meet an Expert: Brian Fisher
Brian Fisher has a knack for solving problems. Often from memory, he can walk a customer through a ...
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Zip's Spotlight: SAS Towing & Recovery
Already life partners, James and Amy Peterson became business partners three years ago when they ...
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Meet an Expert: Pat "Ferchee" Ferch
Pat Ferch knows the wrecker body business inside and out. As a 32-year employee at Zip’s, he spent ...
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Zip’s Spotlight: Lil Pete’s Automotive
Veteran tow operator Peter DiNome is committed to building a future for his family in towing. Every ...
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Zip's Spotlight: Val-U Auto & Towing
Joe Karpel started his family about the same time he opened his auto and towing business in his ...
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Meet an Expert: John Kuhn
After over forty years of putting in work, you notice the changes and similarities in a place. ...
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Zip’s Top 10 List - Heavy Duty
10 Accessories to Add to Your Heavy-Duty Wrecker or Rotator
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The Right Hitch for You: Class & Style Explained
It can be a difficult decision when figuring out which trailer hitch works best for you. With a ...
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Top 10 All American Zip’s Trucks
As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, we take a moment to recognize some of the patriotic ...
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Road To Safety: Traffic Commander
Experts’ Opinions of the Traffic Commander Turn any busy highway into a Road To Safety with the ...
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Meet an Expert: Ruth Egan
Ruth Egan Manages Zip’s Store in Michigan In 2012, Zip’s opened a second location in the Detroit ...
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Meet an Expert: LeRoy Gossling
This Month’s ‘Meet an Expert’ at Zip’s AW Direct is LeRoy Gossling, a professional truck sales ...
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Must-Have Cargo Hauling Accessories
Hauling flatbed freight can be tricky. Make sure you have the right tools and cargo control ...
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10 Tips to Maintain Your Industrial Trailer
Preventative trailer maintenance on your industrial flatbed trailer can keep your rig rolling down ...
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Meet an Expert: Randy Gilbert
Seeing the country and meeting great customers makes Randy Gilbert’s job pretty rewarding.
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Limit your liability: Accurately Torque Lugnuts
Close enough is not good enough. Don’t rely on your own judgment or the sound of your impact wrench ...
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Meet an Expert: Heavy installer Steve Hoeft
Steve Hoeft grew up on a farm between New Hampton and Charles City in northeast Iowa. Like most ...
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Untimely Spills Require Timely Response
A 55-gallon drum spill pierced by a forklift driver. A 150-gallon fuel tank punctured in an ...
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Meet an Expert: The Tenge Family
Good pay and benefits, including paid time off and generous profit sharing, are key ingredients to ...
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Best Automotive Lockout Kits of 2022
Doesn’t matter who locked the keys inside the car. What matters is what you’re going to do to get ...
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Employee Profile: Jimmy Geerts
Zip’s team member Jimmy Geerts operated large, eight-wheeled recovery trucks in the military and ...
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Employee Profile: Steven Kurash
You can’t spell car carrier without care, and you can’t build one without it, either. That’s what ...
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Motorcycle Towing: Using a Trailer or Car Carrier
Each spring, warmer weather tends to lure motorcycles out of hibernation and likely increases your ...
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Get to Know Snatch Blocks: Their Uses, Parts and Care.
Snatch blocks are essential rigging and recovery tools. Available in a wide selection of sizes and ...
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Kentucky Brothers Complete First Custom Build with Zip's AW Direct
Brothers Steve (left) and Sam McGuire drove 12 hours straight through from eastern Kentucky to New ...
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Zip's employees featured in local newspaper
A pair of female employees at Zip's AW Direct in New Hampton, Iowa, were featured in the New ...
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Welcome, Canadian customers!
Zip’s AW Direct offers hassle-free shipping to Canada. Our company is a registered Non-Resident ...
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Employee Profile: Brice Schissel
If you’ve ever received an order from Zip’s AW Direct, chances are Brice Schissel played a role in ...
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Zip’s is now an authorized Landoll dealer
Zip’s AW Direct became a fully authorized Landoll dealer in February of 2020. This latest addition ...
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Employee Profile: Tiffany Fisher
More than 30 employees team up to fulfill close to 400 orders each day in the Distribution Center ...
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Batteries don’t like the cold weather either
Be prepared the next time your car won’t start with a jump pack from Zip’s AW Direct. We stock ...
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Add winch line power wrapping to your weekly maintenance routine
Keep the cable on your winch drum neat and tight through a weekly maintenance procedure known as ...
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Employee Profile: Randy Wickman
Randy Wickman joined Zip’s AW Direct five years ago as a service writer and warranty rep. He was ...
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Employee Spotlight: Carrick Johnson
Carrick Johnson serves as our equipment sales order entry manager at Zip’s AW Direct in New ...
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Colorado Tow Company Gives Back
Jeremy and Alicia Ray of Cozy Corner Towing drove 12 hours from Colorado to New Hampton, IA, last ...
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Meet an Expert: Kevin Einck
Having started nearly two decades ago, Kevin Einck has seen Zip’s with only 60 people grow into ...
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Explore Lightbar Cleaning Methods & Tips
Keeping wreckers clean and professional looking is part of maintaining a good business reputation. ...
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Snatch Blocks: A Better Way to Winch
Snatch blocks are a common tool on almost every tow truck for good reason. Snatch blocks are useful ...
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How to Select the Correct Gas Can
You've all experienced road service calls where someone simply runs out of gas. The solution seems ...
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Choosing & Caring for Winch Lines
Understand the different pros and cons of different types of winch lines. Additionally, know how to ...
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Make the switch to synthetics with Zip's
The use of this recovery rope will drastically cut down on the overall weight of any truck.
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Portable Power Boosts
A dead car battery can leave you stranded. A dead phone battery can leave you without a way to call ...
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