How My Dad Built California’s Largest Tow Company

Episode 2 of Behind The Boom - How My Dad Built California’s Largest Tow Company In this episode, I sit down with my dad, one of the owners of Pepe’s Towing Service, to talk about how it all started. What began by recycling junk cars for $100, eventually grew into one of the largest towing and recovery companies in California. In this conversation, we go back to the early days of working long hours, taking risks, and building a reputation in an industry where trust and reliability mean everything. My dad shares the real story behind the growth of Pepe’s: the struggles, the big breaks, the crazy recoveries, and the decisions that helped turn one truck into a fleet of over 100. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a business from the ground up or what the towing industry is really like behind the scenes, this episode is for you. In this episode we cover: - How Pepe’s Towing first started - The challenges of building a towing company from scratch - Stories from the early days of heavy-duty recovery - Growing from one truck to a fleet of over 100 - Lessons learned from decades in the towing industry Follow the show for more conversations about towing, heavy recovery, crazy roadside stories, and the people behind the trucks. New episodes weekly. Listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ovbxzKgtz7xmsk6jSgYHj Listen on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-boom/id1880554696 #towing #heavydutytowing #podcast #trucking #smallbusiness 00:00 Intro 00:19 How did Pepe's Tow get started 04:30 How many total trucks does Pepe's have now 07:11 When did Pepe's buy our first heavy wrecker 12:13 What made Pepe's focus exclusively on heavy duty 14:32 How do we have 300+ accounts and maintain them 15:21 Where does your passion come from 21:23 The boss is still active at 61 24:41 The difference between Pepe's and other tow companies 27:47 what makes a good boss 29:24 The brutal hours of towing 30:13 How Pepe's gets so many calls 31:47 What is the future of Pepe's 37:59 What other companies are missing 40:16 What's the secret to longevity 42:52 Advice for upcoming tow operators