At the Baltimore Tow Show, three Gerlock employees were honored with the American Towman “Heroism – Act of Saving Life” Award. This is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the towing and recovery industry and is extremely rare—with only 11 Heroism awards issued nationwide each year.
The American Towman Heroism Award is reserved for operators who take extraordinary, selfless action in life-threatening situations, often placing themselves at personal risk to save others. These incidents go far beyond normal job expectations and reflect decisive action under pressure, professional skill, and an unwavering commitment to human life.
To be selected, each case is carefully reviewed and vetted by American Towman, and recipients are chosen based on verified actions that directly resulted in a life being saved. This makes the award not only rare, but deeply respected across the industry.
For Gerlock, this recognition is especially meaningful. It reflects our long-standing commitment to safety, training, and professionalism, and it speaks to the character of the people we trust to represent our company in the most critical moments—often on dangerous roadways, in unstable conditions, and under extreme stress.
In addition, Gerlock received the Donnie Cruise Award from WreckMaster for the same recovery. The Donnie Cruise Award is one of WreckMaster’s highest honors and is presented for a recovery that demonstrates exceptional technical skill, advanced planning, precision execution, and absolute adherence to safety standards under difficult and hazardous conditions.
Named in honor of Donnie Cruise, a respected leader and innovator in the towing and recovery industry, the award recognizes recoveries that serve as benchmarks for best practices. These are operations that exemplify what professional, properly trained recovery work should look like—where equipment selection, rigging, scene management, and decision-making all align to protect lives, property, and responders.
Together, these recognitions represent both sides of our mission at Gerlock:
- Doing the job the right way through training, preparation, and technical excellence
- Showing up when it matters most with integrity, courage, and respect for human life
We are incredibly proud of our team and grateful to American Towman and WreckMaster for recognizing their work on a national stage.
We are incredibly proud of our team members for earning this honor and grateful to American Towman for recognizing their actions on a national stage.
Congratulations Donny, Dennis Austin and Kai!
Follow this link to read the full story: Townsman Magazine Aug 2025
