by Jesse Haley

Pat’s Towing at 160 McGrath Highway was voted Somerville’s 2004 Best Towing and Roadside Service by the readers of The Somerville News.

If you’ve ever found yourself curbside, standing before an empty, if illegal, parking space where your car used to be, it may be hard to think of the people that towed you as the best.

But, if your car has ever broken down by the side of the road, or your driveway has been blocked, or you happen to run a business, or a city, that employs a fleet of vehicles, then you know that some towing companies are better than others.

Surrounded by countless vehicles in the lot, daytime manager and life-long Somerville resident, Marco Soares said the employees set Pat’s apart. “It’s the people. I honestly would have to say the people that work here. We have hearts.”

A typical day for these people starts with a very busy morning. Motorists breaking down on the way to work or school, street cleanings and trash removal combine to keep Pat’s drivers busy in the early hours. “It can get very hectic.” said Soares.

Adding to the workload are Pat’s various contracts with the Somerville Police Department, the United States Postal Service, UPS, UHaul, Boston University and MIT. Pat’s maintains a diverse truck fleet to handle these jobs.

”We have a total of 28 trucks on the road, and about seven for backup,” Soares said. “Heavy-duties, medium-duties, four ramp trucks and a bunch of the small recovery trucks. We have a truck for every car.”

But even the latest and greatest tow trucks can only do so much, he said. “Last time I checked these trucks don’t have wings.”

While busy all day, Pat’s drivers know when to make time for the most important calls, like when a woman accidentally locked her child in her car in DeMoulas’ parking lot, he said.

“I have drivers who go out of their way to help somebody. The crew that we have, they have kids, families. So when we get a call like that, it’s almost like it’s your own,” he said.

But calls like that, thankfully, are few and far between. Leaving the crew at Pat’s to deal with the day’s more mundane towing issues, like the new SUVs that need special tow trucks for retrieval, he said.

Soares said, “If we tried to do it any other way, then we’re looking at damages, taking chances. It’s not worth it.”

In addition to towing, Pat’s drivers often have to explain some of Somerville’s lesser known parking laws to residents, he said.

“In Somerville, you park your car in front of your own driveway, they can tow it,” Soares said. “I didn’t know that until I got into all of this,” he said.

The lot at Pat’s changes with the seasons, he said.

“In the summertime, we’ll get the motorcycles,” said Soares, pointing to a row of bikes. But it is the winter that proves to be the most daunting time of the year.

“The city of Somerville alone, you can just imagine how many cars,” Soares said. “I’ve seen the same guy get towed three times in a week just because he didn’t pay attention to the signs.”

Winter also brings out the drivers more compassionate sides. “When it comes to holidays, we know that families are visiting that may not know the local parking laws,” Soares said.

They usually cut those offenders some slack. “I mean, we do have hearts here,” he said.

Just like the days after Christmas in many houses, Pat’s lot is full of leftovers. Abandoned cars are everywhere, Soares said. “Nobody has the money to fix them around the holidays.”

If your car happens to be one of the many left long term at Pat’s, you can be sure that it is safe. Any valuable items left in the car are tagged and placed in storage, he said.

“I haven’t had a complaint about things missing in a car in years, and I like it that way,” he said.

And what cars they are.

A short walk through Pat’s lot revealed such gems as a bright red Volvo, a pristine black Mini-Cooper, and a stretch limousine. These cars would most likely be picked up promptly.

More likely to linger were the numerous jalopies and wrecks scattered around, as well as the pair of boats and two colossal street sweepers, he said.

“There was a truck in here with a hot dog on top of it. We get them all,” said Soares of his ever-rotating stock.

And when people do come to retrieve their vehicles, they are armed with many excuses. “I’ve heard ‘my cat died, my house was on fire.’ I’ve heard every excuse,” said Soares. “But I try to be professional; I try to answer their questions.”

One thing Pat’s employees will not do is get into a back-and-forth with customers. “I don’t do it.

Sometimes I just let them vent, and then I’ll ask ‘are you feeling better now?’ And they’ll giggle. But some people, no matter what, they’re right and your wrong,” Soares said.

“I have people in here that bring us cookies, and I have people in here that want to kill us. It’s been like that for years and years,” he said.

So next time your car gets towed, you may not want to bring cookies to Pat’s, but at least go with a smile, because the employees at Pat’s are what make it Somerville’s best.