In Memoriam: WreckMaster's founding father Terry Humelsine

A towering figure in the Canadian and U.S. towing and recovery sector has died.

Terry R. Humelsine who helped advance formal training standards in the towing and recovery sector as a longtime instructor and early leader of WreckMaster, was 84.

Born July 11, 1941, in Hagerstown, Maryland, Humelsine began working in towing while still in high school and moved into full-time driving after graduation. 

He joined the Towing & Recovery Professionals of Maryland in 1981 and was elected to its board in 1982, serving eight years. He received Most Outstanding Member recognition from associations in several U.S. states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.

During the 1980s, he earned multiple driving honours, including the Grand National Driving championship in 1988. He later directed the national driving contest for three years, helping formalize evaluation standards.

In 1990, he joined WreckMaster -- a certification-based training system for towing and recovery operators developed in Canada. He soon became a certified lead instructor across Levels 1 through 9, training operators and instructors across Canada and the U.S.

Built around tiered instruction and practical recovery scenarios, it established consistent, safety-focused methods in an industry that had largely relied on informal, experience-based training. The program is used across Canadian provinces and by operators throughout the U.S.