When Ally Sweeney decided to set up the first female-owned tow truck business in the ACT, she didn’t hold back.
With a bright pink Nissan UD and a name that might raise a few eyebrows, the 39-year-old isn’t afraid to stand out.
“My company is called TNA Towing – and yes, it stands for Tits and Ass Towing!” she laughed.
“The name started as a joke, and it just stuck.
“I said, if I’m going to do this, I’ve got to go all in – hammer and tongs.”
The Kaleen mum’s interest in vehicles started at a young age – you could usually catch 12-year-old Ally helping her dad to fix cars around the side of their house, or “paddock bashing” with her mates when she got into her teens.
That passion for cars has stayed with her throughout her life, and when she met her partner Heathen, she took things a step further.
“My partner had a tow truck previously and I spent a lot of time in the truck with him,” she said.
“I ended up learning a lot along the way, and from there I got a job as a tow truck driver with another company in Canberra.”
Ally fell in love with towing – and after getting some years of experience under her belt, she launched her own business in 2019.
She admits going out on her own was daunting, but the biggest challenge in her career so far has been navigating a very male-dominated industry.
“You cop so much shit,” she said. “I’ve had people on Facebook calling me a ‘blow in’.
“I’m always getting asked if I need a hand when I clearly don’t.
“Then people assume I am the person who has been in a crash – even if I’m wearing my TNA Towing uniform.
“They are looking around for the tow truck driver and I’m right there. It’s ridiculous.”
Apart from these frustrations, Ally enjoys the challenges and variety the work brings.
“Every day is different, and there’s lots of problem solving,” she said.
“It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to show people I’m good at what I do.”
When someone is calling a tow truck, it’s usually because something bad has happened – and Ally has a lot of empathy for her customers.
“That’s one of the key things that I really pride myself on,” she added.
“I’ve done countless free tows for people who are short on money but need to get their cars fixed.
“I’m always willing to help people out if I can.”
She shared a story of another difficult situation she tried to help with.
“One Friday afternoon, I had finished up early and was nearly home when I passed an elderly woman on the side of the road.
“The look on her face, I just knew something was wrong, so I turned the truck around.
“Her husband had just died in the passenger seat of the car. We did CPR on him for about half an hour and got him to come back a couple of times, but in the end he sadly didn’t make it.
“There are so many different kinds of situations that you come across in this job.”
Outside of the daily challenges of her work, Ally juggles a busy family life, with two children and two stepchildren.
Her three-year-old daughter Blake travels to school in style every day, with her very own car seat in her mum’s pink rig.
“She absolutely loves it!” said Ally.
“When she sees I’m towing a car she asks me what happened, and she gets up and does the levers with me.
“She has her sunglasses on and a little bit of sass and everyone around here knows her.”
Ally admits it can be hard being on call 24/7 with a 3-year-old, 8-year-old, 12-year-old and 16-year-old at home, but she and her partner are a great team.
Sharing her advice for young women who are interested in entering the road transport industry or starting their own business, she said: “Balls off and go for it!
“If you’ve got the tenacity, have a crack – you never know what you’ll come up with.”