Roads close, fuel leaks, and everyone looks around for the team that can make the chaos stop. We sat down with Perry Beatty—a towing veteran turned hazmat innovator—to map the journey from $8 tows to rapid spill response, patents, and hands-on training that helps operators control scenes faster and safer. If you’ve ever wondered how a towing company can expand into environmental cleanup without losing focus, this story is your blueprint.
Perry walks us through separating the hazmat business for cleaner liability and brand clarity, then turning existing trucking clients into a ready customer base. We dig into the moment speed became strategy: authorities needed rapid response, and towers already lived by the phone. That mindset powers everything—from blocking storm drains to vacuuming product and documenting cleanups for insurers. Perry also shares the origin of FlowStop, his inflatable, chemical-resistant drain plug that converts storm drains into temporary containment and keeps fuel out of creeks and ponds.
Training takes center stage with a towing-specific approach to HAZWOPER and annual refreshers, plus a deep dive into cargo tank awareness. We cover grounding and bonding, safe transfer of Class 3 flammables, vapor control after offload, pick and lift points for uprighting, and why DOT data shows fuel hauler rollovers are far more common than most think. Perry’s mobile simulators bring it to life with water-based drills, dome clamps, pressure transfer, and real-world tactics that translate to the roadside. We’re teaming up for live classes in North Carolina and Alabama to blend hazmat procedure with recovery best practices so crews can handle both halves of a dangerous scene with confidence.
If you lead a towing team, manage safety, or want to build a spill response arm that actually responds, this is a must-listen. Subscribe, share with your crew, and leave a review to help more operators find these tools. Want in on the next class? Visit hazmatrn.com and hit Registration, or call 636-800-ATRI for details.
