PROMINENT PETE
I have to admit it – my first real chat with a tow truck driver turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than I expected. Admittedly, I’ve always been fearful that I’d be trying to explain to a towie that it’s not my fault, the gearbox came like that and the jack shaft was broken when I got it, all while sitting in the middle of a three-lane highway waving at the cars honking at me.
Instead, it turns out my first chat was while sitting on a crate in the shadow of a big red T409, sharing a cold can of coke and trying to contain my excitement at the idea of shooting a massive iconic Peterbilt. For once, real life beat my imagination.
The crate that my well-cushioned backside was seated on was in one of the workshops of Adelaide-based family business Dial-A-Tow and the tow truck driver that was giving me a rundown was Benny Rice.
Benny drives not just the T409 that was providing us some shade, but also the massive tri-axle Peterbilt that would be getting lined up by my Nikons once we’d finished our chat. He also organises and allocates the work for Dial-A-Tow’s heavy recovery vehicles, as
