The Gift of Lift: Bree Shelley saves your ride in style
Photo by Maddie McBratney
A few years ago, I had the unfortunate pleasure of having to call a tow truck driver when my 2009 Acura TSX decided that it was done being a functional car. I knew that it was on the fritz and was likely going to need work done soon, but I wasn’t in a place where I could afford to take it in. When the dashboard lights started going crazy, I knew my luck had run out. Much like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, my car crossed its arms and refused to move another inch.
When the tow truck arrived, it did not bring a wave of relief in tow. The man who got out to help me was a total stranger, and his vibe was simply off from the start. It’s a vulnerable spot to be in—frustrated beyond all measure and suddenly at the mercy of a person you’ve never met, in a place you don’t know.
The entire drive to the mechanic, the tow truck driver proceeded to hit on me. I was already having a rough day, and some dude not picking up on my many attempts to let him know that I’m queer and very much uninterested, was the last thing that I needed.
I wish I could’ve had the number for a tow truck driver who was spunky, punky, and more like me. How different would things have gone if I’d gotten picked up by a driver who reminded me a lot of some of my closest friends?
Meet Breeanne Shelley, or “Bree” as the driver-side door on her tow truck reads—styled much like a callsign on a fighter jet. She’s a tow truck driver for Santa Fe Tow Service, and she’s an absolute badass.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2023, only about 9.5% of all tow truck operators are women. This statistic is one that Shelley is all too familiar with.
Photo by Maddie McBratney
“When I get out of the truck, people are so shocked. I think that it’s cool. They don’t expect a tiny girl to be doing this,” Shelley says.
In an Instagram post featuring Bree at work (that went semi-viral) Santa Fe Towing said: “Imagine how relieved you’ll be when you see that the tow truck fairy showed up to save the day. Go ahead and let the delightful goth fairy vibes envelop you. She gets the job done fast, efficient, proficient, and you might just be best friends by the time she’s done.”
They understand exactly what Shelley brings to the table.
Blue-collar work was always a part of the plan for our red-headed heroine. She grew up in a small town in Georgia, where she would watch her dad do ironwork on buildings often 18 stories tall. His specific brand of structural engineering wasn’t the right match, but one day she did a ride along with a tow truck driver, and found herself unable to shake her true calling.
“She’s been rocking it out,” Shelley’s mom, Erica, says. “I mean, it’s impressive when you see a woman step out of a tow truck in a man’s world. I think what makes her so good at this is that she has compassion for people. She understands that it’s a shaky situation and adapts to put them at ease.”
Shelley got her start in the field, operating the lifts for various tow companies where she never felt like the rest of the crew ever really accepted her. She felt like an outlier, an outsider, and despite being great at her job, just uneasy with these co-workers, as I’d been with the man dispatched to deal with my Acura.
Photo by Maddie McBratney
As a woman in the field, Shelley’s experience has been ripe with many unique challenges that her male counterparts will never face.
“The sad reality is that, from what I’ve seen, we’re always going to have to prove ourselves more than the guys, as women in the industry. It’s not so common to see a whole lot of women welders or tow truck drivers, and people are so quick to judge us.”
When discussing how she got the job at Santa Fe Towing here in KC, Bree laughs and says, “I finally feel like I’m in the right spot. I found my second family here. Good luck getting rid of me y’all.”
Currently, Shelley drives a light-duty, flatbed tow truck and responds to about five or six calls within a single workday. ‘Light-duty’ means that she can tow up to 10,000 pounds at a time, making her the type of rescue that most commercial vehicle drivers are likely to require.
Extreme weather marks one of the most pressing battles on the job, outside of the physical and mental strength, interpersonal stills, and often complex problem-solving. She works frigid winters driving icy roads and loads vehicles in the blistering summer sun. You know, Midwest shit.
Recalling our recent bout of subzero temperatures this year, Shelley says, “It was all hands on deck. I’m not going to lie, it was very, very hard. It was so cold, so windy, and we were all out there working over 12 hour days. We were busy responding to accidents from about 5 a.m. to around 8 p.m. There have been times when I’ve stayed out all night and never went home. We were running our asses around all night long.”
As the summer heat grows nearer, expect to see Shelley whipping around town dragging completely dead transportation like my Acura, as she haul cars (and their stranded drivers) off into the Kansas sunset.
