Apparently they drove like this for 75 minutes. Never seen this before

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Accomplished_Tap1559@reddit

Couldn’t have just loaded it on a lowboy or a beam?

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Hank_J3w@reddit

Hands down the definition of teamwork

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StrangeReason@reddit

Somebody needs to buy those tow drivers a drink

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chillary_shank@reddit

I say “wreckers are a different breed” at least once a week

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This isn't really the same thing, but one time a firetruck drove by as I was waiting for my kid to get out of work. As they were driving, the hose had come loose at some point and was dropping as they drove. So there was this firehose just in the middle of the street for miles. Cars wouldn't cross it, which is good, but it halted traffic because no one knew what to do. The firefighters finally found out and I saw them coming back to pick it up like 20 minutes later lol.

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huggable_penny@reddit

Fire truck vs hulk?

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Mydogfartsconstantly@reddit

Whats the big deal………OH

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I_AM_FERROUS_MAN@reddit

Something messed up that fire truck hard! Must have been a high speed collision?

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PlatypusMelodic3768@reddit

Really looks like a train hit it lol

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steggun_cinargo@reddit

train would have pushed it a while so i feel like tires would be gone

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PlatypusMelodic3768@reddit

Not necessarily

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Turbulent-Weevil-910@reddit

When the tires come off, much like when the shoes come off of a person, means that the vehicle has died.

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Effective-Tension-17@reddit

A train would have ripped that thing in two pieces

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speed150mph@reddit

I’ll be honest, as a former railroad mechanic, the only thing I’ve seen bend a heavy truck like that is a freight train. Even another semi truck would need to be going pretty fast to do that kinda damage

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PlatypusMelodic3768@reddit

Sole people just don’t have the experience to know man lol

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bgwa9001@reddit

At accidents they park the fire truck in a way that blocks the personnel on scene from getting hit. So probably this thing got nailed by a big vehicle at freeway speed who wasn't paying attention

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supernova-juice@reddit

I thought it was to defend a fresh kill from scavenging ambulances

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Texas_hvac_tech@reddit

The ambulances will have to wait their turn.

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SdVeau@reddit

Back to the real question. What color are those red firetrucks?

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DevilDrives@reddit

Yes, I call fire for extrication or blocking traffic on most vehicle collisions.

They generally "block" left or right depending circumstances and use their apparatus as a taper, blocking as much of the scene as possible from moving traffic. Judging by the point of impact, it looks like he was blocking left and somebody nailed it.

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DFA_Wildcat@reddit

Could have been running a red when it wasn't quite safe to go.

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Artichoke93@reddit

LOL exactly my thoughts.

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blumhagen@reddit

This is just stupid. Should have been done with a winch flatbed.

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HexDanTHEWHALE@reddit

75 minutes, so like 3 miles?

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cul8ertx@reddit

When moving an oilfield drilling tower, this technique is known simply as “two trucking”. It’s often used to move a rig short distances without dismantling. Impressive to travel so far with that load

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Chingasupinchemadre@reddit

Wow. I started my CDL career at a crane company in Houston tx. We used to use Apple towing every time, mainly because they were basically the only wrecker company with equipment heavy enough to handle our cranes when they flipped, got stuck in the mud, broke down… ect. They were an essential part of the business. Nice folks over there at Apple, never met one of their guys I didn’t like + very professional / knowledgeable

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Soapyhandjob@reddit

Not no 75 minutes. They were on 75 and drove it a few minutes to get it off the highway where they can secure it properly.

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opinionated_penguin@reddit

Dude in reverse almost as legendary as Hank Hill bombing that mountain backwards on Christmas Day

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johnboy11a@reddit

Just think about what would have happened if that engine wasn’t running block when the semi came through

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BenSinged@reddit

It’s parking your apparatus defensively to protect those working a scene. I once got stopped for speeding on I27 and the trooper first asked if I was law enforcement or on fire. As a firefighter I had parked at a hard angle without even thinking about it. He gave me a warning and let me slide.

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Royal-Application708@reddit

The person driving in reverse the entire time is a legend.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Any trucker worth their salt shouldn’t have difficulty reversing

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im-not-a-fakebot@reddit

That’s one thing but to drive in reverse for 75 min through who knows how many turns and stuff is just legendary

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chops351@reddit

The 75 mins is bs. They moved it off the highway to a truck stop to wait for a lowboy

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Inside-Finish-2128@reddit

It’s Texas. You have to get it off the highway onto the access road and then to a large enough parking lot. At speeds slow enough to be safe with that load, 75 minutes is feasible.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Yeah,

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Natste1s4real@reddit

I can’t believe you got down voted on this. Scary to see who we share the roads with!

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Ikr, it’s literally the first test here in the uk

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spiritual_seeker@reddit

The caboose truck was likely in neutral.

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packraftbeta@reddit

Wait till this guy finds out it’s not that hard to let your steers follow when you being drug down the highway backwards floating in neutral. He’s gonna be crushed. /s

Source: Ran a 50ton once or twice

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Sikkus@reddit

Both of them, tbh. The first driver has to maintain speed and turn the wheel in coordination with the second one.

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thriftwisepoundshy@reddit

Hank hill?

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chainshot91@reddit

I've seen some pretty crazy recoveries from my old tow truck company, but not that level. We probably would have loaded it on a landoll to carry it

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CarPatient@reddit

Definitely much easier even if you had to flag for an oversized load.

On the other hand, they got to Bill for two operators and two trucks..

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12darrenk@reddit

If I remember correctly, they got it off the road like this to get the road reopened quicker, then loaded it up in the parking lot they are going into.

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NostradamusJones@reddit

Yeah, that tracks. The 75 minute claim has to be BS.

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soda61pop@reddit

Just had to steer. The first truck did all the powering while the second tow truck provided lift and steering. Look at the video and notice no reverse lights on the 2nd tow truck. Still an awesome recovery boneless.

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ogloc1995@reddit

Wrecker drivers are the Navy Seals of trucking

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DaveWierdoh@reddit

Someone tried to make the firetruck bend in the center around a corner.

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KitteyGirl2836@reddit

[11/30/2025] Four Houston firefighters, 18-wheeler driver hospitalized after Montgomery County crash, officials say

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yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

This some Ai stuff right here

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530whiskey@reddit

it isn't there first time by the looks of it, damn.

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Idiotwithaphone79@reddit

Noice!

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heisenbergerwcheese@reddit

nnnnnno they didnt

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DT466@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MH9EXLyxeMw

Quick clearance. Some states even have an incentive program to get wrecks cleared off the highway within a time limit. Get it cleared to a safe location, worry about transport after that.

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Mugwump6506@reddit

Htf do you bend a fire engine in half like that?

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Dangerous_Ingenuity1@reddit

Why do I have a feeling, a train was involved?

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DblDtchRddr@reddit

Nah, if a train was involved, both wreckers would be towing separate pieces.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Depends how fast said train was, I reckon a low speed train might just cause so much damage

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OKHayFarmer@reddit

I had to deal with a crew cab pickup that got stuck by a train. The train was doing 55 mph when it hit the truck (statement from the conductor was: “saw an obstruction on the tracks a mile away. We applied the emergency at 65 mph. We struck the obstruction at 55 mph.”). The truck was high centered on the tracks. The truck was wrapped around the front of the train.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

I can imagine

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MissYouDesertRat@reddit

If only there was a tv show dedicated to answering these types of hypotheticals

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Yeah

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Chevydude90@reddit

The result of the firefighters engaging on the takeovers with the engine out there.

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Mikey24941@reddit

Huh?

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Lightningdash3804@reddit

Nah, it was a semi truck. The fire engine was positioned sideways to block a crash scene, and it got t-boned by a semi. 4 firefighters were hospitalized, but all survived iirc.

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tykaboom@reddit

Immigrant trucker?

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JOlRacin@reddit

I'm assuming not, since Fox News didn't pop up when I image searched it

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Slater_8868@reddit

I'd love to know the details on the semi driver

I hope the firefighters have a full recovery

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Street-Run4107@reddit

Good to hear. I thought they were drifting and hit a tree.

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12darrenk@reddit

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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LanceWasHere@reddit

75 minutes? That’s what a flatbed is for. If they were just getting it off the highway then I guess it’s an acceptable way to do so 🤷🏽‍♂️

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Snappypants9@reddit

Is the 2nd tow truck in neutral?

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Substantial_Chain718@reddit

A train must have hit that firetruck. Those things are built like a tank.

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James_T_S@reddit

There are drivers and there are Operators.

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Drunknmasterr@reddit

Did the guy on the end just throw it in neutral and just get dragged too? If he didn’t he made my dick hard

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bgwa9001@reddit

He must have I would think. But he definitely had to steer, ironically similar to one of those long firetrucks with the guy steering the back lol

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Aqueouspolecat@reddit

Tiller-man.

Or Tiller-person nowadays.

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JosephRW@reddit

I'm partial to using "-folk" for everything. Its a fun word.

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Mirria_@reddit

His backup lights weren't on, so yeah.

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Sixpacksack@reddit

Lol

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ResidentComplaint19@reddit

Dudes neck has to be wrecked

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Black000betty@reddit

Mirrors. If you know how to use them, your neck is just fine.

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Largofarburn@reddit

I’m guessing they just drove slowly. It’s 75 minutes, not miles.

I had to do a double take too.

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dd961984@reddit

Plus a police escort...all be it a very slow one

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Vicious-Circle@reddit

*albeit

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Gouge61496@reddit

Bone apple tea 🍵

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ArdenJaguar@reddit

It looks like they wrapped it around a phone pole or tree. Usually when I see wrecked fire trucks they’re smashed in front from running into people who didn’t stop for them.

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Momsinfatuation@reddit

Could’ve been positioned as a blocker and got hit in the middle or just t-boned.

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Snoo13703@reddit

A reply further up the thread posted a news article, you got it exactly right, 18 wheeler t-boned it

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md24@reddit

He read that comment first genius.

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12darrenk@reddit

It was a blocker for another accident and got hit by a semi.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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EastSideFlo@reddit

SuperEgo didn’t see the parked fire truck blocking the highway for an emergency

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Teamster508@reddit

I’ve seen this before not for that long tho, usually that type of hit needs a landoll

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Jamo3306@reddit

The back to back towing? Yeah it's a thing. I used to watch to big ass Gin trucks do the same thing with the derrick of a drilling rig. They just did it for short distances in field.

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Pitiful_Owl_4141@reddit

75min? Cap. Had to be a short drive . Otherwise a flat bed would’ve cost less and been more efficient

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kingsnow18@reddit

T-bone by a semi?

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ben04985@reddit

Genuine question,why didn't they just fet it winched onto a low loader?

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PristineAd4761@reddit

Dude driving reverse needs the tow truck for his giant balls

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Lavasioux@reddit

Why not put it on a Lowboy?

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Turbulent-Weevil-910@reddit

A lot of tow trucks have a system where both vehicles are electronically linked so throttle and steering on one moves the other

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Sire-of-Adraxze@reddit

Wouldn’t it be easier to just put it on a low loader?

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devonte3062@reddit

They’ll do stuff like this to clear the highway and will set it on a lowbed in a safer location out of the way

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dewky@reddit

It's never that far away though. Usually the next exit or somewhere else close.

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chops351@reddit

The 75 mins part is bs. The truck stop was nearby

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thesunking93@reddit

I guess the heavy duty flatbed was too busy to assist LOL

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chops351@reddit

Orrrrrrrrrr....... They moved it off the highway so they can get it opened up and to a nearby truck stop to wait for the trailer.

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xoutlawtrucker@reddit

Thats the only thing I kept saying to myself. The tow company has $850k tow trucks and they cant find a flatbed?

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Blader0808@reddit

Apple Towing, the one in the video does (very dang near) EXCLUSIVELY heavy hauling in Houston, TX. Including accidents. Those drivers probably called for one, but blocking a major intersection for the amount of time one would take to get through H-town traffic to the scene? It would take A LOT more than 75 mins I can tell you that.

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xoutlawtrucker@reddit

They cant turn on the flashy lights and drive on the shoulder? But you are talking about Texas which has the 2nd worse drivers and traffic. I am in TX right now and I refuse to drive from 3pm to 8pm because of all the stupid

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thesunking93@reddit

I'm ex tow operator from the 80's. That's how I got my class A when the fleet expanded to heavy duty and recovery and I put my little Ford F350 dual combo sling/wheel lift to rest ; )

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Oldmonsterschoolgood@reddit

Fucking how does a fire truck get i to that shape

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nyrb001@reddit

They drove in front of a train

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JOlRacin@reddit

Honestly, I can't think of a much better advertisement for your towing company. The only one I've seen that was better was the one where a heavy rig was lifting a competitor's tow truck

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Beanz_detected@reddit

The coordination is beyond me

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TossmySalad88@reddit

Very cool share, thanks. We had a parade in town a few years ago where two tow trucks had a third in the middle off the ground like this.

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Mugwump6506@reddit

When they started out it only needed an oil change.

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CaptBreeze@reddit

I bet it was used for a movie.

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Jeffzuzz@reddit

goddam what a badass lmaoo

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Ok-Adhesiveness8264@reddit

Yeah 75 min but they only had to go a quarter mile

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llkey2@reddit

So was the rear truck just in neutral allowing it to be towed?

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CBTwitch@reddit

That’s damn impressive.

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DumatRising@reddit

Wrecker drivers are some absolute mad lads. You see them do some crazy stuff sometimes.

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Past-North-4131@reddit

Any info on the firefighters?

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bourbonpens@reddit

Yeah that’s a new one on me

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Mnkeemagick@reddit

Now that's what I call team driving

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stretchman93@reddit

That’s honestly impressive teamwork

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CyrilFiggis00@reddit

That 75 minute drive was only like 10 city blocks

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jq_gaming@reddit

heywhatthefuckhap…penned….to the……fire…..truck…..shit.

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12darrenk@reddit

Semi hit it while it was blocking at another accident.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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MastrChang@reddit

What caused that damage

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12darrenk@reddit

Semi hitting it while it was blocking at another accident.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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soldierdec08@reddit

Is this the fire truck that got hit by a plane in New York?

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12darrenk@reddit

No, semi in Houston.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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1986silverback@reddit

I would rather know the back story on this

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12darrenk@reddit

Semi hit the fire truck while the fire truck was blocking for another accident.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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Cyanide612@reddit

Oof. Thats a hefty tow bill.

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RandSand@reddit

Taxpayers will be footing the bill.

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12darrenk@reddit

Trucking company hopefully. It got hit by a semi while blocking at an accident scene.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/public-safety/2025/12/01/537309/four-firefighters-hospitalized-after-a-semi-truck-hits-fire-engine/

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PipelineBertaCoin69@reddit

That’s sick

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HeywoodJaBlowMe123@reddit

All skill

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Jonas_Venture_Sr@reddit

I love talking with these guys, they have the best stories in the industry.

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BigWhiteDog@reddit

And stupidity

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Grimol1@reddit

Yeah, that’s pretty impressive.

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randomlemon9192@reddit

That and good communication.

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5WEET_Cheeks_Karen@reddit

This is amazing!

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BigWhiteDog@reddit

Absolutely stupid. You lift the rig up and put it on a lowboy.

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oldsguy65@reddit

The guy in back must be a descendant of Ginger Rogers.

(No, nobody will get the reference but I amused myself.)

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DeeDee_Z@reddit

I got it -- "backwards and in high heels", right?

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nousernameused@reddit

Salute to the guy doing the backing. He surely had to stay 100% focused on that tow. Wow.

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youngmasterfresh@reddit

That looks expensive.

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Apart-Ad1652@reddit

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

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Apart-Ad1652@reddit

Why wouldn’t they just deck it ?

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BigDogDaBeast314@reddit

75 minutes. Only 8 miles away

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toTheNewLife@reddit

I haven't seen a firetruck that mashed up since 9/11.

I hope the firemen are all OK.

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DaRealMexicanTrucker@reddit

Yea dog, ita just a tow tr .... OHH WTF!?! SEVENTY ... FIVE .... MINUTES!?!?!?

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Level-Leg-1579@reddit

That'll buff out

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inickolas@reddit

Wasn't it easier just put the firetruck on the platform?

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CaptLoads@reddit

Some form of flat bed couldn't have worked???

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paulbunyanshat@reddit

There's gotta be a better way

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2_befair@reddit

Impressive.

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MrPayMyWay215@reddit

The bill is gonna be 5 figures

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redmoonleather@reddit

That takes some exceptionally good drivers!

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Jmersh59@reddit

Dam there good 👍

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AutoTransport101@reddit

This is an amazing accomplishment.

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AniroCCram0602@reddit

That's a unique and possibly the only way they could come up with! It worked!!!

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Rumymomma1959@reddit

That's how they got a 40' bus out of the garage that slipped halfway off a lift. If it fell all the way it would of been lots more damage. Luckily the garage was set up with adjoining stalls so a few thousand dollars call into the industrial roll-up door company who had to remove two doors then one big tow truck could lift the inside while the other lifted from the normal side. Then they put air back in the lifts lowered them and the bus. It was back in service soon. Gillig

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Gazelle-Internal@reddit

Damn

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Asstronomer6969@reddit

Steerable rear

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Retireegeorge@reddit

There has to be an answer.

AI video?
Computer control?
Radioactive spider?
We are all hallucinating that this video exists?
These guys' favourite movie is Requiem for a Dream and in particular the "Ass to ass!" scene?
Drivers are twins with shared mind and their own abbreviated twin-towtruck-driving 2-way language?
Every crane and low loader in the universe was busy and the tow truck drivers always wanted a firetruck to fix up?

-They grew up in a cult of disabled people who lived in their motorised scooters, where everyone danced back to back, holding a bamboo pole just using pressure between them and the cult leader rode around them, zapping them if they made a mistake?

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