By Scott O’Sullivan, founder of Rider Justice, owner of The O’Sullivan Law Firm
Munky Mark Berman is a man who found his calling 50 years ago and held on with both hands (on the handlebars)!
“I’ve been biking for 50 years and I’ve been driving a tow truck for 47 years,” he says, adding that he loves both lifestyles. So, when an “Ah-Ha” moment hit him 10 years ago – a way to combine both of the lives he loves – he threw himself into it like a grease monkey on a classic engine.
Munky Mark launched Motorcycle Transport Specialists, knowing that he could provide better service than anyone else in town. Why? Because he loves bikes and bikers.
And he hates – like, really HATES – seeing bikes damaged by inept tow companies.
Munky Mark
“I have seen bikes dragged on flatbeds, dangled off the backs of wreckers and other situations that you wouldn’t believe,” he says. “I was on C-470 and I saw a bike on a tow truck, strapped down with one strap. The driver went around a corner and the bike fell off the truck. That bike was destroyed. Most people can’t tow a motorcycle. It’s not as easy as they think it is.”
In contrast, Munky Mark says he has towed for “huge corporations like Harley’s Eagle Rider Rentals, as well as custom builders. I’ve towed 100,000 motorcycles and I never caused a scratch or a dent or anything.”
That must be why every single insurance and roadside company he’s approached has agreed to work with his company, including AAA, and he has an A+ rating with the Denver Better Business Bureau.
It’s a good thing that this job is also his passion, because it requires long hours – 7 am to 11 pm in riding season.
“Sometimes I jump on my bike with my wife and I get half a mile down the road and I get a call,” he says. “So, I turn around, get my truck and go. My wife knows this is something I have to do. I need to do it. I love it! It’s not a job for me.”
Helping Riders Stay Alive
Munky Mark also provides a service that he believes saves lives. He calls it “Tipsy Tow,” and he will pick up a drunk biker and his/her bike, and deliver them home safely any time of the day or night.
“I have had numerous brothers and sisters who drink and get on a motorcycle. I’ve buried more friends than I want to think about,” he says. “It’s not worth it! I don’t charge for Tipsy Tow because I just want people to make it home alive. Sometimes I see the guys I’ve saved later in life and they give me huge hugs. One guy said, ‘The only reason I am here to say thank you today is because you got me home.’”
Expanding the Business
After 10 years of hard work, Munky Mark is expanding Motorcycle Transport Service into Grand Junction and Colorado Springs. He’s also added trucks in Denver.
“We have also added an enclosed trailer for out-of-state transports, which means faster deliveries,” he explains.
But expansion means finding the right people to work for the company and Munky Mark only hires people who are as passionate as he is about motorcycles.
“The people I have chosen to work at Motorcycle Transport all ride and I would trust them with my bike in an emergency. It took a few years to pick the people, but I have chosen employees who give a damn about motorcycles!”
If you ever need your bike moved, I encourage you to call Motorcycle Transport Service… and let him know you saw the Rider Justice story about him!