At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, many expected the virus to dissipate quickly and didn’t anticipate the need for change in health and safety policies across every industry.
However, COVID-19 proved to be much more serious and carved out mask wearing and social distancing for the foreseeable future. Even now as COVID policies relax, many businesses that have changed their models aren’t going back.
Angelos Towing is one of those companies. When more information about the virus and how to slow its spread came about, Nash Habib, the President and CEO of the business, saw a way to easily make just a few changes to ensure his towing service was safer for San Diego residents. Nash says:
“Towing already doesn’t involve a lot of customer contact, except when the customer is in the tow truck getting a ride to their destination. We talk to the customer on the phone, get an idea of what situation they’re in, and we come out and pick up the vehicle.
So we started seeing how we could take payment over the phone, over the internet, and what other ways we could get the information we needed to complete the job, so we could reduce overall contact with the customer.”
There was just one thing left to address — how to protect drivers and customers when they were in the tow truck together. Nash Habib ensured that all drivers of Angelos Towing received COVID-19 safety training according to guidelines published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Habib says:
All the drivers wear high-quality face masks while on the job, and always when in the truck with a customer. We have disposable masks on hand that customers can wear too if they don’t already have their own. Being in such close proximity, everyone needs to wear one. We also implemented a new sanitization protocol to make sure every ride was clean for every customer. Our drivers have been trained to sanitize their tow trucks, including in the air and on high-touch surfaces. This is done at the beginning and end of each day and in between each tow. Hand sanitizer is kept in the trucks for drivers and customers to use.
However, there is still some risk involved when getting into a closed vehicle with another person. Angelos Towing asks that if you feel unwell, have a fever or have had one in the last 24 hours, have shortness of breath or a shallow cough, or have been exposed to anyone with the Coronavirus, with Coronavirus symptoms, or who are awaiting test results to find other arrangements for transporting themselves home or to another destination.
“We’ll get your car towed, no problem, but for everyone’s safety, we are screening customers and not allowing at-risk people to ride in the cab with our drivers.”
By taking the appropriate precautions against the spread of COVID-19, Angelos Towing has been able to provide safer, reliable towing services to customers throughout the pandemic. The community’s cooperation with mask mandates, hand sanitization, and other safety procedures has helped the company continue to respond to vehicular emergencies in the area and assist drivers in need with a car accident, a flat tire, or just running out of gas.
“I love helping people. People helped me when I had nothing, and now I want to help them. This is just one way of doing that.”
ABOUT NASH HABIB
Nash Habib was born in Iraq, during the years following the aftermath of the first Gulf War, when a flood of Iraqi refugees attempted to enter the United States. Habib was fortunate to have escaped the war when he was a child, fleeing Iraq with his family to Greece, a nation noted for facilitating refugees’ journeys to the United States.
Nash Habib arrived in the United States on his 18th birthday, with no high school diploma and no knowledge of the English language. He also struggled with reading and writing in his native language. Now, Nash serves as the president and CEO of Angelo’s Towing & Recovery.
Angelo’s Towing is a well-known towing firm in San Diego with several years of experience serving the community. Angelo’s Towing experts make every attempt to ensure that clients are delighted with the service and support they receive, and they go over and beyond to meet the needs of their valued customers.
Angelo’s Towing has more than 50 heavy tow trucks that are available 24/7/365. All jobs are tracked by satellite and dispatched to on-duty towers across San Diego and its neighboring cities, making sure customers get the tow they need as quickly as possible.
