It’s not a job for just anyone, manoevering a large flatdeck tow truck through Bowen’s narrow roads but Michael and Barbara Bingham are up for the challenge.
The couple launched I&I Towing and Hauling Ltd. the first week of January.
Their medium duty Freightliner flat deck truck can tow vehicles but also haul containers, tiny homes, heavy materials, construction equipment, RVs. They’ll take things to Greater Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast or even Vancouver Island.
The couple was seeing the need for such a service on-island, especially as towing services have been coming from off Bowen. “There’ve been towing services [on Bowen] but nobody’s ever had a flatbed truck,” said Barbara.
Michael Bingham has decades of experience in the hauling industry. The Binghams had a hauling business on the mainland for 12 years – Junk R Us – many years ago. Now they're getting back into the business world with I & I Towing and Hauling. By Barb Bingham
For more than 30 years, Michael has been hauling islanders’ stuff off the island and for the past 20, he’s been with Bowen Waste Solutions, behind the wheel of the dump truck. (He’s still with BWS, just less these days).
The Binghams had a rubbish hauling service on the mainland for 12 years – Junk R Us – but let it go a few years after moving to Bowen.
Recently, the pieces fell into place to once again be business owners. The right truck opportunity came along at the right time and the Binghams decided to leap. I&I Towing doesn’t have set hours, rather call when you need them. “We get calls mostly during the day, sometimes we get some evening calls, but it’s not necessarily emergency calls at this point,” said Barbara, though they anticipate some of those will come.
While starting up a business in the transit and trucking industry requires adhering to strict regulations and requirements, there are Bowen-specific issues the Binghams have to consider. There’s, for one, the ferry (and associated costs) and then, there are the steep and narrow roads and driveways of Bowen. Sometimes retrieving the item to be hauled takes improvisation and a mechanically-inclined mind.
“It’s not an easy thing to do,” said Michael, “I guess that’s why nobody’s ever done it on Bowen before.”
“There’s tricky situations to manoever and especially when you’re considering the length and the manoeuvrability of that flat deck,” said Barbara.
Through his years working on Bowen and on the mainland, Michael knows the roads well. “I know the ins and outs and places to go,” Michael laughed. “I think we’ve been building ourselves up to this.”
I & I Towing’s new flat deck tow truck. By Barb Bingham
COVID-19 has also factored into the business, “We were thinking about getting away from being around a lot of people,” said Michael. “This is a way to do it.”
“We’ve had nothing but a lot of positive feedback,” said Barbara. “So I think other people are recognizing that there’s a need for the service.”
“That’s been really heartwarming,” she said. “It makes us feel good.”
“Even some of the other fellows that have been offering tow service in the past, but [are] kind of getting away from it – they’ve been really supportive and helpful and offering advice or information.”
Reach I&I Towing and Hauling at 604-947-1717 or email [email protected].
