Podcast Summary: "The Repo Man is Busier Than Ever"

Podcast: The Journal.
Hosts: Jessica Mendoza, Ryan Knutson (not present in this episode)
Date: November 14, 2025
Featured Reporter: Scott Calvert
Featured Repo Agents: George Dowdy, Jay Cavanas

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the surge in car repossessions across America, exploring the reasons behind the spike, the business of repossession, and the everyday realities—and dangers—faced by repo agents. Reporter Scott Calvert spends a night out with repo men in Maryland, observing their work and learning about the pressures and ethics of reclaiming vehicles from delinquent borrowers. Through real stories, the episode sheds light on a challenging job that sits at the intersection of personal hardship and economic warning signs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Surge in Repossessions (04:56 - 06:19)

• Why repos are booming:
  • High car prices and stagnant wages have forced more buyers into unaffordable loans. (05:03)
  • Many are taking out longer loans and paying more each month—often more than they can afford.
  • Inflation has squeezed budgets, making essential payments like car loans harder to keep up with.
• Subprime borrowers hit hardest:
  • Over 6% of subprime auto loans are overdue by 60+ days—a record level. (05:44)
• Scale of the problem:
  • 1.73 million vehicles were repossessed last year, the highest since the Great Recession in 2009. (06:08)

2. The Repo Operation: Night Riders & High-Tech Hunts (00:05 - 13:18)

• Life on the job:
  • Scott Calvert joins repo veteran George Dowdy for a night shift, witnessing the quick, practiced routine of spotting, verifying, and hauling away vehicles.
  • “It took all of, like, under a minute.” — Scott Calvert (01:59)
• A business built on volume:
  • Companies like Speed Kings Recovery (with a “K”) work across Maryland, Virginia, and D.C.
  • On average:
    • Each repo nets ~$275 for the company, with $75–$90 going to the driver. (07:27)
    • Repo agents rely on high volume to make the business viable due to low margins and high overhead.
• Technology transforms the hunt:
  • Trucks are equipped with laptops, apps, and cameras that scan and cross-check thousands of license plates per night.
    • “This is not your grandfather’s repo man, right?” — Jessica Mendoza (08:37)
    • “One of the agents, over one evening, his truck's cameras scanned and photographed about 21,000 license plates.” — Scott Calvert (09:42)
  • Beeps and squawks signal possible hits as data is processed live; sometimes, even the right car slips by on the highway. (11:01)
• The grind and the strategy:
  • Agents operate at night to minimize confrontations, often working 12–13 hour shifts, staking out malls, parking rides, and huge apartment complexes.
  • “It's like my own little office. It's going to lead me to you.” — Jay Cavanas (13:09)

3. The Human and Economic Impact (15:15 - 21:58)

• A job full of danger and judgment:
  • Repo agents are often deeply unpopular—sometimes facing guns, threats, and high-stress confrontations.
  • “You're going to lose your means of getting around … you add to that a tow truck at 2 in the morning and the potential for confrontation is really high.” — Scott Calvert (16:05)
  • George recalls a job where a man locked him onto their property and threatened to get a gun.
    • “I'm out in the middle of nowhere.” — George Dowdy (16:44)
    • The sheriff had to be called to deescalate the situation.
  • At least 10 repo agents have been killed nationwide in the past couple years. (17:46)
• De-escalation as a skill:
  • Both George and Jay emphasized the importance of talking people down and never risking their own safety.
    • “There's no repo that's worth jeopardizing anybody's personal safety over something materialistic.” — Scott Calvert (18:33)
    • “Anything can be replaced except your life.” — George Dowdy (18:41)
    • “Once you learn how to talk to people and you give people the respect that you want, you normally gonna get what you kick out.” — Jay Cavanas (19:10)
  • Jay admits he's been shot at in the line of duty, but insists it comes with the territory. (19:16)
• Empathy vs. tough reality:
  • Both repo men have mixed feelings—sometimes sympathy, sometimes frustration—about the people whose cars they take.
    • “I used to be (sympathetic) a lot. But I came to the realization that everybody has a choice and people do crazy things.” — Jay Cavanas (19:50)
    • Not everyone who is repossessed is truly unable to pay; some simply choose not to, knowing what’s coming.
    • The process is “a hide and seek game.” — Jay Cavanas (20:15)

4. What Repo Trends Say About the Economy (20:32 - 21:58)

• Repos as a warning sign:
  • More repossessions reflect broad economic stress—both for consumers (lost transportation, rising debt) and potentially for the economy at large.
    • “If you have more people who are falling behind in their car payments, that's problematic for obvious reasons. Right. They're struggling and that can have ripple effects throughout the economy.” — Scott Calvert (20:55)
  • In a healthy economy, the repo industry “wouldn’t need to exist”—but for repo agents, it’s vital, necessary work.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the speed of a repo job:
  • “All right, so that took all of, like, under a minute.”
    — Scott Calvert (01:59)
• On technology in the cab:
  • “My first impression when I climbed in was that this is like a mobile command center.”
    — Scott Calvert (08:25)
• On the scan volume:
  • “That night … his truck’s cameras scanned and photographed about 21,000 license plates.”
    — Scott Calvert (09:42)
• On danger and de-escalation:
  • “I've never been shot at, thank God. Like I said, I've had confrontation. And me being me, I've always talked my way out of it.”
    — George Dowdy (18:20)
  • “I've been shot. … He might not have been shooting at me. He might have just shot in the air. But … it comes with the territory, right?”
    — Jay Cavanas (19:16)
• On empathy and frustration:
  • “I used to be a lot [more sympathetic]. But I came to the realization that everybody has a choice and people do crazy things.”
    — Jay Cavanas (19:50)
• On repo work as an economic barometer:
  • “If you have more people who are falling behind in their car payments, that's problematic for obvious reasons. Right?”
    — Scott Calvert (20:55)
  • “In an ideal world, maybe the repo industry wouldn't exist because … everybody’s able to make their car payments and keep their car.”
    — Scott Calvert (21:24)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Life on the Repo Night Shift: 00:05 – 04:56
• Financial Pressures Behind the Spike: 04:56 – 06:19
• Inside a Repo Company: Tech and Tactics: 06:33 – 13:18
• The Dangers Repo Agents Face: 15:23 – 19:35
• Empathy, Judgment, and Business: 19:47 – 20:32
• The Repo Industry and the Economy: 20:32 – 21:58

Tone & Colorful Details

• The show captures a mix of grit (midnight stakeouts, threats), modernity (tech-packed “mobile command centers”), dark humor (“creepin while you sleepin’” slogans), and tough economic realities.
• Repo men are candid about the risks and the ethics of their work, offering a glimpse of the often-invisible side of the American economy.

Conclusion

"The Repo Man is Busier Than Ever" offers an engaging window into the rising tide of car repossessions, illuminating the intersection of technology, economics, and human struggle that defines today’s repo industry. Weaving narrative reporting with on-the-ground experiences, the episode raises questions about financial vulnerability and the necessary (but often fraught) role repo agents play in the auto finance ecosystem.