All of us have heard classic lies like these: The check is in the mail; I’m from the government and I’m here to help you; This will only hurt a little. 

          There are quite a number of types of lies as well: there are fraternal lies, typified in locker room boasting, stories of college-age drinking contests; and exaggerations of prior scholastic achievements or past sporting accomplishments, like the best golf score short of Tiger Woods.
          There are matrimonial lies: How many towing operators have told their wives something other than the true cost of a wrecker purchase? Or worse.
          There are also law enforcement-related lies, such as when a motorist, pulled over by a policeman, quickly says, “Officer, I only had two beers!” or “Officer, I was only going 55 mph.”
          There are lies designed to catch someone else in a lie. These are known as entrapment lies, where police interrogators lie to a criminal suspect under certain circumstances to provoke a confession.

                                                          Rational Lies                                            

          Attending an incident management meeting, I heard a reference to occupational lies, to-wit, “You don’t go to hell for occupational lies — God overlooks them!”
          With that thought ringing in your head, consider this: When do all these types of lies named above become rational lies? To “rationalize” is to create a believable, logical justification for a decision or action that might otherwise be seen as irrational or not justified under the circumstances.
          So when does it become a necessity to lie when we provide services in our industry? When we find our ideas, our techniques, our invoices, or our business practices challenged by an irate customer or a difficult insurance adjuster, do we immediately offer a rational lie to support or justify our position? Or is our business in such good order that we are able to honestly withstand the scrutiny of those who would question our policies and procedures?

                                                          No Lie!                

          In my view, a person should never need to lie about anything connected to one’s business. Towing companies have no place in the towing industry if they offer unsubstantiated charges, have questionable billing practices, and condone unethical employee activities and immoral or unjust behaviors.
          But they are there. The news media is constantly reporting on the actions of “rogue” towing companies to the detriment of all tow truck operators across the country.
          Until we clean up our own act inside our own house, we cannot point the finger at others. I urge all tow company owners and wrecker operators to conduct a brief but honest self-assessment to see if any of the varieties of lies mentioned above are a common occurrence in the daily course of doing business.

          And if in consideration of this possibility, someone finds evidence of use of rational lies, I hope that person will search out the root cause for the deception and eliminate it.