MOSES LAKE — On a wall near the front door of Vista Service Towing, nearly a dozen letters, postcards and printed emails have been hung up, almost all of which represent another family thanking the drivers that, at some point, had saved their day.

One written by a Yakima woman is directed to Vista’s owner, Derek Bjork, asking him to pass along the writer’s thanks to Robbie Rowe, the driver who had picked up her daughter and granddaughter when they ended up stranded on the side of the highway about eight miles east of Ritzville.

“Mr. Rowe went above and beyond to assist us during what was a very stressful situation for us all and we can’t express enough how grateful we are for his professionalism; he was very understanding, caring, patient, and calm,” she wrote, adding that she felt, “blessed to have been served by Mr. Rowe.”

It’s because of letters like these that Rowe enjoys the work he does, which can have long hours and isn’t without danger late at night or during a winter storm, he said. As a truck driver, he has a chance to come to the rescue during an awful situation, and Rowe loves helping people.

He’s been driving tow trucks with Vista since February of last year after applying to the job essentially on a whim, starting the job while there was still snow on the ground and plenty of people sliding off the roads. During that season, and likely during the upcoming one, there are a lot of calls from the police or state troopers asking one of the drivers to come to help clear an accident.

“It doesn’t take much for people to go off the road, especially when they’re going fast,” Rowe said.

Even when everyone is driving safely, there are any number of reasons why they end up needing a tow, Rowe said. With winter fast approaching, he cautions drivers to make sure that they’re up to date with their car’s maintenance, keeping up with routine oil changes and having checked that their radiator is ready for winter weather.

If the worst does happen, drivers need to try to get over as far as possible, he added.

“If it was me pulled over on the side of the road with my wife and kids, if it’s not too cold or hot out, because I don’t trust that traffic, I’m going to get out of the car and walk even further away from the road if I can,” Rowe said.

It can also help protect the tow truck drivers, who also can be at risk of getting hurt or killed by a distracted driver while they’re servicing someone’s vehicle, he added.

Rowe’s schedule can be peculiar, and it’s not uncommon for him to call his wife in the evening to let her know he’s not going to be home until late. Sometimes that’s just because there are busy nights, with back-to-back accidents or other misfortune, and sometimes he’s simply been asked to tow a vehicle an absurd distance – he’s hauled cars as far as Montana before, he said.

“Realistically, if someone said they needed a tow to New York City, and they had the money, then, well ... ” Rowe said, shrugging.

In the past, when Rowe pulled up to give someone a tow and they had been sitting out in the cold waiting, he’d be able to warm them up in the truck, or else he’d bring them water on hot summer days. Being personable and having conversations with the people riding in the cab with him is one of the best parts of the job, Rowe said. Especially fun are the long drives taking the crazy kids back to Seattle, after their cars break down at a concert at the Gorge Amphiteatre, or wherever they call home, he adds with a chuckle.

“Those can be crazy, all of those concerts we stay busy,” Rowe said. “We’ll come in and we’ll already have three or four calls lined up, where people will break down, or lock their keys out of their cars.”

Those conversations don’t happen anymore, Rowe said, and won’t come back until after the pandemic ends. As the coronavirus spread throughout the state, the company decided to no longer allow people to ride with the drivers in the cab. Instead, they need to find someone to pick them up or ride out back in the towed vehicle instead.

One day, however, Rowe will be able to let people warm up in front of the heater and chat them up about the latest music being performed at the Gorge.

In the meantime, he has the view of the countryside of the Pacific Northwest to enjoy for himself.

Emry Dinman can be reached via email at edinman@columbiabasinherald.com.