But, Pinheiro said, with more awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder, more drivers are seeking helping if it is required.

For Mayne’s final ride, between 50 and 80 tow trucks started at the Laurentian Power Centre and with the help of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, they drove as a group down Ottawa Street to the Conestoga Parkway, where they continued north on Highway 85 around the roundabout in Elmira, before returning back by the same route.

This is far from the first time the tow community has gotten together to honour one of their own. On Dec. 1, there was another ride for Kenny Lawrence, who died on Nov. 27 at the age of 46.

While the tow community may not get along all the time, according to Harold Markle, owner of Canadian Towing Equipment, it is similar to a family.

“They’re like a family,” said Markle. “They’re just like a family. They may scrap all day and disagree, but when the chips are down and one of their family have had a problem, they are the most big-hearted people you can find. That’s true just about everywhere you go in the province.”

Markle, who ran his own towing company, Cambridge-based Markle Service, from 1971 to 1991 before getting into the business of building tow equipment, added that when it comes to serious situations, such as snow storms, the focus is always on helping people first.

“What’s amazing is when there’s a major snowstorm or a major accident and multiple trucks are required, they’re all competing for that business, but they’ll make sure it gets done and they’ll even help each other. But then it’s right back to competing.”