I’ve been to a lot of truck shows over the years. The first show I ever attended was the 1989 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville when I was 13 years old. Since that time, I’ve been to numerous shows throughout the country, both as an attendee and as a participant. From ATHS National Conventions to Walcott and Waupun, NAST shows back in the day, the ATCA Macungie Show and, in recent years, The Kenworth Truck Show and Parade (which is one of my personal favorites), along with many other big and small shows around the country. But this past September I had the opportunity to attend a completely different type of event – a tow show.
Making the trip with my fellow trucking aficionado and photographer friend, Spencer Schmerheim, who has an affinity for tow trucks, we decided to check out the 2025 Midwest Regional Tow Show (MWTS). Upon arrival, we were quickly overwhelmed by largecars equipped with rotators and rollbacks. Held over three days (September 25-27) at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio, the 47th edition of MWTS attracted tow companies, vendors and suppliers from Ohio and the surrounding states of West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to name a few.
Promoted by the Towing and Recovery Association of Ohio (TRAO), the MWTS returned to the Great Wolf Lodge for 2025 after spending two years at the Roberts Center in the neighboring town of Wilmington, Ohio, with TRAO Executive Director Bruce Bender telling me, “We received a lot of feedback from vendors, participants and attendees that they enjoyed the show to a larger extent when we had it here in Mason at the Great Wolf Lodge. This show is a family event, so it only made sense for us to come back to the Mason location this year, and so far everyone has been very excited to be back here.”
In charge of the MWTS since 2018, Bruce continued, saying, “We have some of the best exhibitors and attendees. The MWTS is a family event, and we fully intend to keep it that way. The younger generations that have been coming to this show with their families are now coming of age and getting involved in their family’s towing businesses. They will be the ones to take it all over at some point.” Taking in what Bruce told me, I couldn’t agree more with what he said.
Passion, pride and family were the common themes with nearly everyone we spoke to who had a tow truck on display at MWTS. “I have a hard time hiring good tow truck drivers, so I have to raise them instead,” Steve Judy of Mosby’s Towing and Transport, based in Campbellsburg, Kentucky, jokingly told me, referring to his three sons, Logan, Braden and Connor, who are all involved in the family business. Connor, who is just 21 years old, told me, “I’ve been riding in tow trucks since I was three years old.” Connor now operates a new, beautiful black 2024 Kenworth T880 that is equipped with a Miller 1140 40-ton rotator for his dad at Mosby’s.
But Connor was just one example of a multi-generational tow operator at the show. We also met more young towers, with one being third generation tower A.J. Case and his girlfriend Kaleigh and mom Tina of Lebanon, Ohio based Case Towing. A.J had their brand-new 2025 Peterbilt model 536 with a 22-foot JerrDan XLP 6-ton rollback carrier. With a custom lighting system that cost more than $100,000, A.J.’s Peterbilt was one of the most impressive trucks we saw during the Friday night light show.
Another young tower we met was 20-year-old Tim Koebley of Warren, PA based Koebley’s Towing and Recovery. Attending the show with his girlfriend Kahlynne, Tim told me, “My family has been coming to this show for years, but this is the first time we brought a truck.” Referring to the newest addition and pride of the Koebley wrecker fleet – a brand-new 2024 International HX equipped with an NRC65 65-ton rotator – this truck is all business from front to back and top to bottom. Triple framed and a twin-steer with five axles in total with wide track, the International is powered by a 620 Cummins with an Eaton-Fuller 18-speed, 4.10 rear gears, and all riding on 20K steers and 48K Hendrickson rear suspension. “The HX has every interior option available,” said Tim, adding, “It’s certainly not a highway cruiser, but the truck performs like we need it to when we’re working, pulling trucks and equipment out of ditches!”
Parked right next to Koebley’s International was another impressive rotator owned by Shaun Ratts of Salem, Indiana based Salem Wrecker Service. A 2015 Kenworth T800 equipped with an NRC50 50-ton rotator, the truck sports a 605 X15 Cummins and an 18-speed transmission with a 20K front axle and Kenworth eight-bag air ride on the drives with a steerable tag. “Don’t Hike, Call Mike!” is the company slogan, which refers to Shaun’s father who founded the company but sadly passed away in February 2022. “We’ve been bringing trucks to this show since 2015, but this is the first time we’ve brought the T800,” said Shaun. A patriotic American who bleeds red, white and blue, Shaun proudly displayed a massive 20-foot by 48-foot American flag, with the help of the Koebley rotator, for all to enjoy.
There were several trucks that caught my attention right away after arriving at the show on Thursday. One of the most unique and biggest tow trucks in attendance at MWTS was owned by fourth generation tower Nick Shade of Tony’s Wrecker Service. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, the company is Louisville’s oldest towing company. Nick brought their largest truck to the show – a twin-steer 2024 Autocar DC64 conventional equipped with a NRC85 85-ton rotator. Powered by a Cummins X12 rated at 500-hp and mated to an Allison 7-speed automatic transmission, the big Autocar is double framed and spec’d heavy with a steerable third lift axle and 52K Hendrickson HMX-EX-520 suspension with 4.30 geared rears.
Along with the Autocar from Tony’s Wrecker Service, Bardstown, Kentucky based Ellis Towing had an awesome twin-steer 2024 Kenworth W990 with a Miller Century 1075 75-ton rotator. These two awesome rigs held a banner recognizing fallen towers in the industry, while framing a stage between them for the show all weekend long, with bands playing to entertain attendees every night. The towing industry is a tight knit community. A vigil was held on Thursday night, complete with a wall containing the names of fallen towers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for all to view, not too far from the Tony’s Wrecker Service Autocar DC64 and Ellis Kenworth W990 rotators.
As someone who loves vintage trucks and trucks that are special or have a unique story behind them, two Peterbilts caught my attention at MWTS. The first one was a beautiful red and silver 1969 ‘little window’ Peterbilt model 288ST, equipped with a rare 30-ton Hubbard Manufacturing twin boom body on it. This classic Pete, Owned and operated by Dean Stebbins Sr. of Mantua, Ohio based F&S Automotive, rides on a long 300-inch wheelbase and is powered by a classic 270 Cummins, that pushes its power through an Eaton-Fuller 13-speed, and has a Peterbilt air-leaf suspension. Nicknamed the “Drag-N-Wagon” for some obvious reasons, Dean has owned this Peterbilt since 1976.
The second Peterbilt that caught my attention was a 1990 model 379 with only 12,000 original miles on its odometer! Needless to say, this classic Peterbilt is an amazing trucking time capsule. Ordered by Bob and Margie Myers of Batavia, Ohio in 1990, this big Pete was spec’d with every option available at the time, inside and out, that you could get from Peterbilt. The big wrecker is powered by a Cummins 444 with an Eaton-Fuller 18-speed transmission and fitted with a Challenger 9900 60-ton rotator.
According to American Towman Magazine, in their October 1990 issue, Bob’s Peterbilt was the most expensive wrecker ever built at that time. This cool Peterbilt also won the 1992 and 1994 Tow Times beauty contests. Proudly owned and maintained by Bob and his wife Margie, and their children, Harry, Bobbie and Sissy for 35 years, the paint is all original with every stainless bolt on the truck polished. For the last 15 years the truck has not been in service and has been kept inside a garage. In September 2025, Bob sold his prized, one-of-a-kind Peterbilt model 379 wrecker to a fellow Ohio based company, Sandy’s Towing, where the hope is to have this unique truck on display in the International Towing and Recovery Museum, at some point, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
With 58 trucks in the beauty portion of the show, the rotator class was highly competitive. All the rotators on display were absolutely immense and impressive to see, but Brian Harney of Somerset, Kentucky based Candido’s Towing took home top honors with his 2024 Peterbilt 389X (#660), equipped with an 1150 50-ton Miller Century rotator. Placing second was a 2024 KW W990 twin-steer, fitted with an 1150R 50-ton Miller Century rotator, that was owned by Hadley’s Towing of Novi, Michigan, and driven by Patrick Martich.
Also making the trip down from Hadley’s was Ricky Cook with his 2024 Peterbilt model 389, with an extended day cab option, and equipped with a Miller Century 30K, 28-foot rollback carrier. A 20-year towing veteran, and all with Hadley’s, Ricky told me, “We take pride in our equipment and do so much more than just move vehicles with our trucks. From production molds for the big three to fork trucks and, honestly, anything that can go on a flatbed, this truck is very versatile.”
Everyone we met all weekend long was amazing – all were proud of their trucks and proud to be towers. We also met many readers of 10-4 Magazine, as well. Thanks to all of them for saying “hi” and telling us how much they love our magazine! One great couple I want to give a shout out to is Mike Rokiski and his fiancé Nina, who were gracious enough to spend some time with Spencer and me and answer questions about the show and the towing industry.
Owner of Milford Towing out of Milford, Ohio, Mike had a new Peterbilt model 589 on display, as well as one of the smaller trucks from his fleet “the grocery getter” (as his employees like to jokingly call it) – a Ford F550 equipped with a Miller Chevron 408 wrecker body. Both Mike and Nina are very active in the TRAO, with Nina currently presiding as the secretary of the Women’s Towing and Recovery Association of Ohio (WTRAO) for the last three and a half years. “The WTRAO raises money for the injured drivers fund and we support and promote children’s events at shows like this one through fundraising events and sponsorship from towing companies and towing manufacturers like Miller Industries,” said Nina.
Besides the beauty competition (where I spent most of my time), the parking lot was also packed full of a number of manufacturers, vendors and truck dealers selling and promoting their latest towing products and equipment that included everything from safety vests and t-shirts to brand-new rotators and rollbacks ready to take home. “This show is a great opportunity to visit with friends, customers, and get together and relax and meet other like-minded individuals,” said Mike Rauh of Matheny Motors of Parkersburg, West Virginia, a distributor for Miller Industries towing and recovery equipment.
While the trucks may be a little different, the owner’s passion and pride for their rides shine bright, like so many others in the trucking industry. But if you love something specialized, I’d suggest checking out a parking lot full of rotators and rollbacks in Ohio next year! The next Midwest Regional Tow Show is scheduled to be held on the weekend of September 24-26, 2026, at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All photos by Mark Harter and Spencer Schmerheim. Overhead drone shots courtesy of Joe Latapy.