John H. Glass
Born to John H. Jr., and Nancy K. Glass, John spent his early years in Buffalo, NY before moving to New Jersey in 1965 where he attended elementary and high school. John earned his associate degree in Automotive Repair at Ferris State College in Big Rapids, Michigan. At a young age, he knew he wanted to help people and liked working with cars, so the towing and automotive industry seemed the perfect match. His early jobs included working as a carpenter’s assistant, an auto mechanic at Romeo’s garage, as well as a service station in Liberty Corner, NJ and spending time with the owners of Tri-Corner Auto Body. John also spent many hours volunteering for the Veterans Administration hospital. John met and married the former Patricia C. Ledford in 1979 and they moved to New Jersey and started Morristown Auto Body in 1980.
John is a charter member of the Garden State Towing Association and has held multiple positions as Legislative Chair, Vice-President, and currently President. His greatest accomplishments are in the legislative arena, where over the years his efforts have been responsible for the passage of the most important pieces of legislation governing the towing and recovery industry in New Jersey including Legislation to eliminate low bid contracts, the State Police SOP, the Predatory Towing Act, the Turnpike Tow Through, and preventing the insurance industry from setting towing and storage rates. The overweight/length legislation which he was instrumental in passing is now a model for the country. John is instrumental in writing and developing towing ordinances for New Jersey municipalities dealing with the towing and storage of vehicles and his success has led him to be a consultant and advisor for states across the country on legislative issues. He also represents GSTA with various state organizations including the Incident Management Operations Group, I-95 Corridor Coalition Incident Management Committee, the DOT, TIM, NJ State Police, NJ Turnpike Authority, NJ Insurance Commissioner’s office and Traffic Officers Association, and the Property Casualty Insurers Association. Over the years John has pushed to bring camaraderie and promote education to the towers of New Jersey.
He has long been involved with and held positions on the board of the national Towing and Recovery Association of America. He is a past Vice-President and Legislative Chairman and served as an advisor under two different presidents. His contributions include working on deregulation, development of the early stages of Incident Management, municipal and state police towing models, the development of the National Driver Certification Program, the road patrol model for the private sector, and the New York and Philadelphia Tow Licenses. Currently, John holds a position on the TRAA Legislative Committee and as a presidential advisor as well as serving as the GSTA representative and liaison for TRAA.
John and the GSTA are founding members of the Conference of Northeastern Towing Associations and is a past president and secretary. He currently serves as 1st Vice-President and the NJ Representative. John also served as First Vice-President of the Auto Body Association of New Jersey, a position he held for five years.
John and his wife Patricia make their home in Morris Plains, NJ with their two poodles Chanel and Penny. In what little spare time he has, he enjoys collecting vintage cars, antique toy tow trucks and memorabilia, photos and advertising, and traveling in their motor home.