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United Road Services, Inc. Establishes Major Midwest Towing Hub

21 August 1998

United Road Services, Inc. Establishes Major Towing Hub In the Midwest Region of the United States

    ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 21 -- United Road Services, Inc.
announced today it has significantly expanded its national
towing recovery and transport services network by acquiring one of the largest
volume towing companies in North America.
    Servicing an estimated 300,000 vehicles per year, E&R Towing, Inc. of
Markham, Illinois, had an aggregate 1997 revenue of approximately
$23.5 million.  The Company provides towing and transport services to the city
of Chicago, its suburbs, and to other national customers such as Insurance
Auto Auction.  E&R currently employs over 200 people and owns approximately
90 speciality-service vehicles.  The Company also maintains operations in
Aurora, Illinois and Avenel, New Jersey, which is a suburb of Newark, New
Jersey.
    Edward T. Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of United Road
Services, Inc., said, "E&R's strategic geographic placement in Chicago
significantly enhances our ability to expand our customer base in the Midwest
region.  It also creates a vital link in our national towing recovery and
transport services network by establishing a major presence in the Midwest
region of the United States."
    Categorizing E&R as a "nationally-known company with a long-standing
excellent reputation for high-quality service," Mr. Sheehan also noted that
this latest acquisition "reflects URSI's concentration upon towing recovery
and transport companies that have developed a consistent, historical financial
performance of strong internal growth, coupled with the ability to generate
on-going substantial revenue."
    Formed in July 1997, United Road Services, Inc. is a leading provider of
vehicle and equipment towing and transport services in the United States, with
an expanding network of 42 service locations in 16 states.  The Company's
broad range of services includes towing, impounding, and storing motor
vehicles, conducting lien sales and auctions of abandoned vehicles, and
transporting new and used vehicles and heavy construction equipment.  The
Company's customer base includes national automobile leasing and insurance
companies, automobile dealers, governmental agencies, automobile auction
companies, and individual motorists.
    This release contains forward-looking statements.  These statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.
Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which
reflect management's view only as of the date hereof.  The Company undertakes
no obligations to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect
subsequent events or circumstances.  Readers should also carefully review the
risk factors described in documents the Company files from time to time with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.