Tri-City Wrecker: A Family Business Built on Showing Up, Day or Night

If you have driven through Prince George County long enough, chances are you have seen Tri-City Wrecker and Auto Repair in action: lights flashing on the shoulder, a recovery truck steady in the dark, and a team working quickly and carefully to get someone safely back on the road.

For brothers Pete and Kevin Lucy, that work is not just a job. It is a family legacy, one they have been part of since they were kids.

Tri-City Wrecker opened in 1974 by their parents, Lawrence Lucy Sr. and Betty D. Lucy. What began as a side business, built while their dad worked at a cigarette factory in Petersburg, grew steadily, call by call, into the trusted operation it is today.

Kevin was just a year old when the business began. Pete was 6. "We grew up in the business," Kevin said. "That's all we knew. It's in our blood."

It was the kind of upbringing that taught responsibility early, and it shaped how they operate today: show up, do it right, and take care of people.

Since day one, when their father started the business, The Bank of Southside Virginia (BSV) has been there for the long haul, providing banking services and equipment loans to help the business grow and thrive.

Specialized work that keeps commerce moving

While Tri-City handles plenty of everyday towing, from state police calls to remove wrecked or abandoned vehicles at the roadside to dealership support and local shop tows, the company is also known for heavy-duty towing and recovery.

That includes towing tractor-trailers and cabs to transportation hubs for fleet customers, using sophisticated winches to extract semis from interstate ditches, and getting wheels back on the ground after a rollover. That recovery work requires skill, experience, and the right equipment.

Their heavy-duty services help keep freight moving when breakdowns happen at the worst possible times. One example is tractor swaps, when a truck breaks down roadside and Tri-City helps get a new tractor under the trailer so the load can stay on schedule, saving customers time and money.

They also respond to some of the most challenging situations on major corridors including I-95, I-295, and Route 460, work that can be physically demanding and genuinely dangerous.

"You might be standing right beside the guardrail with six inches to the white line, and people fly by 80 miles an hour," Kevin said. State law requires motorists to provide safe operating space by moving into a distant lane if safe, "but not everybody pays attention."

That reality is part of why Tri-City takes safety and professionalism so seriously, and why customers depend on them when the stakes are high. On an average day, the company handles about 20 tows, split fairly evenly between everyday vehicles and heavy-duty trucks.

Repair shop grew from trust

In 1984, the family added an auto repair operation to complement the used auto parts business they once offered from an adjacent junkyard.

"People would come to us for parts and then ask, 'Can you put it on for me?'" said Kevin, noting that both he and his brother had an early interest in mechanics. "It grew from there."

Today, the shop focuses on gasoline engine auto repairs, backed by experienced technicians and a reputation for fairness that keeps customers coming back. For the Lucys, that reputation matters as much as any piece of equipment.

"We treat people like family," Pete said. "We price fairly. If you need a ride home, we offer a ride. If you are traveling and break down, we'll take you to a motel."

Kevin put it even more simply: "We treat people like we would want to be treated. Or how I'd expect my wife to be treated if she was broken down somewhere."

That mindset shows up in small moments, like staying with a stranded driver until she was safely at a shop that would accept her credit card. The company hauled her without additional charge to another shop when the first only took cash, then called later to make sure everything turned out okay.

That is not extra service to the Lucys. That is just how you do business in a community.

Built to last, because it is personal

Pete and Kevin officially took over the business around 2010, continuing what their parents built and keeping it a true family operation. Today, Pete's son, Timmy, is part of the team, learning the same way his dad and uncle did: hands-on, day by day, with high expectations and a lot of pride in the work.

"My brother, my son and I, we've never worked for anybody else," Pete said. "We've been self-employed our whole lives."

In an industry that never sleeps, 24/7, weekends, nights, and holidays, Tri-City keeps going with a small team and a commitment to answering the phone when others might not. "The phone doesn't stop," the brothers said. And neither do they.

A long-time relationship with BSV

Tri-City Wrecker has been part of Prince George for decades, and so has their bank. The Lucys' relationship with The Bank of Southside Virginia goes back to when their father began banking locally and stayed with BSV because it was close, consistent, and built on trust.

"It's been a great experience," said Pete, noting that BSV lending has supported fleet growth, which now includes a half-dozen wreckers split between regular and heavy-duty towing.

"If we've needed something, BSV has always taken care of us," he added, noting that the bank has approved every loan request over the decades.

Today, that relationship continues across both business and personal banking, from weekly deposits to practical tools that keep a 24/7 operation running, like business credit cards for a team that is constantly stopping to refuel or deliver big trucks up the East Coast.

Each Friday, they walk into the Prince George branch, where they are greeted by name. In turn, they know everyone on the BSV team there.

For the Lucys, the value is simple: people who know them, a bank that is nearby, and support that feels personal. The kind of banking relationship you build when you live and work in the same place, and when your success is tied to your neighbors' success, too.

Around here, the strongest businesses, and the strongest banks, are the ones that never forget who they are here for.

"The Bank of Southside Virginia is a Member FDIC Bank."