In 1945, C. T. “Smutt” Smith had an idea to provide an alternative to customers for towing service in Knoxville. Companies like Terminal Garage and Mee’s Wrecker Service were already in business, yet the communities of Fountain City and Halls Crossroads did not have a dedicated service in the area. One tow truck and one eager young business man later, Fountain City Wrecker Service was born. Times were tough at first. His competition was fierce and established. Terminal Garage, in particular, had control of the entire City of Knoxville towing contract. Up until 1963, Fountain City was located in Knox County. In 1963, Fountain City, to the dissatisfaction of the residents, was annexed into the City of Knoxville. However, this was a turning point in business for Smutt. He became the only other towing company to hold a contract with the City of Knoxville to provide towing service. Soon after, the City offered a contract to Sutherland Avenue Wrecker Service (Moon’s) as well.
In those days, the funeral homes provided ambulance service as well. Smutt developed friendships with several local funeral homes like Mynatt’s Funeral Home, Gentry’s Funeral Home, and others. People would call the funeral home directly to report automobile accidents. The ambulance services would solicit business from injured drivers and passengers first come first serve. Ambulance service were crude to say the least. Ambulance service employees were not trained in any type of first aid or trauma care. In essence, folks were literally thrown inside the ambulance and transported as rapidly as possible to the nearest hospital. Everyone is familiar with the term “ambulance chasers” in reference to attorneys looking for cases. But tow truck drivers were and still are perhaps the biggest group of ambulance chasers there are. Smutt would receive a phone call from the funeral home or a concerned citizen and race off to the scene of the accident in hopes of gaining a tow. When people were seriously injured and required extrication from their vehicle, it was Smutt and his crew that would work to free those injured from the wreck. The job of the tow truck driver often dealt in life and death situations and no modern rescue was available for support.
Fast forward to present day and you will find things have not changed much. We still chase ambulances in hopes of helping you or your family with your towing needs when you need us the most. Thankfully, our customers request our services in most instances because Smutt built a foundation of trust and dependability with his customer’s after nearly 60 years in the business. Sadly, C. T. “Smutt” Smith passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer in November of 2010. He may have left us physically but his influence remains in the hearts of his two living son’s, Joel and Steve, who carry on the legacy today. They believe in the same business principles and traditions that built this operation from one truck one driver to a fleet of 20 plus trucks and 10 plus drivers. We believe in treating others the way we would want to be treated. In situations where our customers are battling stress and injuries due to the unforeseen circumstances of an auto accident or simple car trouble, we offer dependable solutions at reasonable prices with quick service times. As the oldest family owned towing service in Knoxville, we know you expect that when you call. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and hope to continue to be your preferred provider in your time of need.