I knew some guys in Truckee-cops and firefighters - near Lake Tahoe.
They purchased a used tow truck and drove around off duty being a gypse tow company.
It was the 80’s and $50 cash to tow one idiot out of a parking spot was a no brainer
$40 to put on your chains
$100 to tow you to a mechanic after your car overheated. Radiators freeze solid or hoses freeze solid and the engine cooks.
Not long after I joined the PD... I got called to a single car 10-50... BMW off the road. Nothing serious. No damage. Car in cornfield.
Called a local wrecker guy... I'll refrain from using his name. He pulled the 7-series back on the road... at 2am. In a snowstorm. And told the owner that the bill was $100. Mr. Hoboken responded "you pulled my car out in less than 5 minutes... how can the bill be $100."
Tow driver responded... "It's 2am. It's snowing. You got me out of bed. The charge is now $150."
Mr, New Jersey started bitching again... and the bill went to $250. At $300, he turned to me and said "What are you going to do about this?" My response was "Nothing at all... pay the man."
At $400... Mr, New Jersey paid the tow driver. I laughed my ass off.. quietly.
As a follow-on... a year or so later, I hired the same wrecker guy to help me offload a "Backyard Buddy" car lift from a truck. We had the great idea to put it on dollies and pull it onto the flatbed and then he could lower it into my garage. Good plan! The wrecker pulled the 1500 pound long, wrapped package out of the box truck onto the flatbed. And as soon as the 20 foot by 3 foot by 3 foot 1500 pound 'log' hit the wrecker/tiltback... it started sliding sideways. Right towards the driver. Who was working the controls on the left side. The 'package' slid sideways, hit the lip of the tiltback, almost fell off the side, crushing the driver like the wicked witch of the West... and then fell back on its wheels. Driver maneuvered it into the garage... where I later set it up.
He never flinched. Never said a word. Never moved his hands off the control levers.
When I asked him how much I owed him for helping me unload... he said "Well, seeing as you tried to kill me, I guess the bill will be $200."
I didn't hesitate for a second... Paid him the $200.
We were friends until his passing a year ago.... One of them old-timey woodchucks... who is old farmer smart at a level hard to describe.
Never screw with a tow truck driver.
Cheers,
Sirhr