<PAGE>   1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.1


                              AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO
                         TO LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

                  THIS AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO TO LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT (this
"Amendment") dated as of November 13, 2000, is entered into among PHONETEL
TECHNOLOGIES, INC., an Ohio corporation ("Phonetel"), CHEROKEE COMMUNICATIONS,
INC., a Texas corporation ("Cherokee," and together with Phonetel, each a
"Borrower" and collectively, jointly and severally, the "Borrowers"), on the one
hand, and, on the other hand, Agent (as hereinafter defined) and the financial
institutions (collectively, the "Lenders" and individually, a "Lender") that are
signatories to that certain Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November
17, 1999 (as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to
time, the "Loan Agreement"), entered into among the Borrowers, Lenders, and
FOOTHILL CAPITAL CORPORATION, a California corporation, as agent for the Lenders
(herein, in such capacity, referred to as "Agent"), in light of the following:

                                    RECITALS

                  A. Borrowers have requested that the Lenders amend the Loan
Agreement.

                  B. Lenders are willing to amend the Loan Agreement under the
terms and conditions set forth in this Amendment.

                  NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the
mutual covenants herein contained, and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the
parties hereby agree as follows:

         1. DEFINITIONS. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall
have the meaning ascribed thereto in the Loan Agreement.

         2. AMENDMENTS TO THE LOAN AGREEMENT. Upon the Second Amendment
Effective Date, the parties agree to amend the Loan Agreement as follows:

                  (a) SECTION 1.1 of the Loan Agreement hereby is amended by
inserting the following new defined terms in the proper alphanumerical order:

                  "SECOND AMENDMENT" means that certain Amendment Number Two to
         Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November 13, 2000, among
         Borrowers, Lenders and Agent.

                  "SECOND AMENDMENT EFFECTIVE DATE" means the date that all
         conditions set forth in SECTION 3 of the Second Amendment have been
         satisfied.




                                      -1-
<PAGE>   2


                  (b) SECTION 2.11(e) of the Loan Agreement hereby is amended by
deleting the text "the first anniversary of the Closing Date" appearing in said
Section and inserting the text "January 1, 2001" in lieu thereof.

                  (c) SECTION 3.4 of the Loan Agreement hereby is amended by
deleting the text "November 17, 2001" appearing in said Section and inserting
the text "January 1, 2002" in lieu thereof.

         3. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO AMENDMENT. The satisfaction of each of the
following unless waived or deferred by Lenders, in their sole discretion, shall
constitute conditions precedent to the effectiveness of this Amendment and each
and every provisions hereof:

                  (a) Agent shall have received this Amendment, in form and
substance satisfactory to Agent, duly executed by each party hereto, and in full
force and effect;

                  (b) The representations and warranties in this Amendment, the
Loan Agreement as amended by this Amendment, and the other Loan Documents shall
be true and correct in all respects on and as of the date hereof, as though made
on such date (except to the extent that such representations and warranties
relate solely to an earlier date);

                  (c) No Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing on the date hereof, nor shall result from the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein; and

                  (d) No injunction, writ, restraining order, or other order of
any nature prohibiting, directly or indirectly, the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein shall have been issued and remain in force by
any Governmental Authority against either of the Borrowers, Agent or any of the
Lenders.

         4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. Each Borrower hereby represents and
warrants to the Lenders that (a) the execution, delivery, and performance of
this Amendment and of the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, are
within such Borrower's corporate powers, have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate action, and are not in contravention of any law, rule, or
regulation, or any order, judgment, decree, writ, injunction, or award of any
arbitrator, court, or Governmental Authority, or of the terms of its Governing
Documents, or of any contract or undertaking to which it is a party or by which
any of its properties may be bound or affected, (b) this Amendment and the Loan
Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, constitute such Borrower's legal,
valid, and binding obligation, enforceable against such Borrower in accordance
with its terms, and (c) this Amendment has been duly executed and delivered by
such Borrower.

         5. CHOICE OF LAW. The validity of this Amendment, its construction,
interpretation and enforcement, the rights of the parties hereunder, shall be
determined under, governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York.



                                      -2-
<PAGE>   3

         6. COUNTERPARTS; TELEFACSIMILE EXECUTION. This Amendment may be
executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties and separate
counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered, shall be deemed an
original, and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute one and the
same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this
Amendment by telefacsimile shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed
counterpart of this Amendment. Any party delivering an executed counterpart of
this Amendment by telefacsimile also shall deliver a manually executed
counterpart of this Amendment but the failure to deliver a manually executed
counterpart shall not affect the validity, enforceability, and binding effect of
this Amendment.

         7. EFFECT ON LOAN AGREEMENT. The Loan Agreement, as amended hereby,
shall be and remain in full force and effect in accordance with its respective
terms and hereby is ratified and confirmed in all respects. The execution,
delivery, and performance of this Amendment shall not operate as a waiver of or,
except as expressly set forth herein, as an amendment of, any right, power, or
remedy of Agent or any Lender under the Loan Agreement, as in effect prior to
the date hereof.

         8. FURTHER ASSURANCES. Each Borrower shall execute and deliver all
agreements, documents, and instruments, in form and substance satisfactory to
Agent, and take all actions as Agent may reasonably request from time to time,
to perfect and maintain the perfection and priority of Liens in the Collateral
held by Agent for the benefit of the Lenders and to fully consummate the
transactions contemplated under this Amendment and the Loan Agreement, as
amended by this Amendment.

         9. MISCELLANEOUS.

                  (a) Upon and after the effectiveness of this Amendment, each
reference in the Loan Agreement to "this Agreement", "hereunder", "herein",
"hereof" or words of like import referring to the Loan Agreement, and each
reference in the other Loan Documents to "the Loan Agreement", "thereunder",
"therein", "thereof" or words of like import referring to the Loan Agreement,
shall mean and be a reference to the Loan Agreement as modified and amended
hereby.

                  (b) The Loan Agreement and all other Loan Documents, are and
shall continue to be in full force and effect and are hereby in all respects
ratified and confirmed and shall constitute the legal, valid, binding and
enforceable obligations of each Borrower to Agent and Lenders.

                  [Remainder of page intentionally left blank]



                                      -3-
<PAGE>   4


                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have entered into this
Amendment as of the date first above written.

                                        PHONETEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,
                                        an Ohio corporation

                                        By /s/John D. Chichester
                                           ---------------------------------
                                        Name: John D. Chichester
                                              ------------------------------
                                        Title: President and Chief Executive
                                               -----------------------------
                                               Officer
                                               -----------------------------

                                        CHEROKEE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.,
                                        a Texas corporation

                                        By /s/John D. Chichester
                                           ---------------------------------
                                        Name: John D. Chichester
                                              ------------------------------
                                        Title: President
                                               -----------------------------

                           [signature page continues]


<PAGE>   5



                                        FOOTHILL CAPITAL CORPORATION, a
                                        California corporation, as
                                        Agent and a Lender

                                        By /s/Andrew D. Hall
                                           -------------------------------
                                        Name: Andrew D. Hall
                                              ----------------------------
                                        Title: Senior Vice President, Loan
                                               ---------------------------
                                               Portfolio
                                               ---------------------------


                           [signature page continues]


                                      -2-
<PAGE>   6


                                        FOOTHILL PARTNERS III, L.P.,
                                        a Delaware limited partnership, as a
                                        Lender


                                        By /s/Jeff T. Nikora
                                           -----------------------------
                                        Name: Jeff T. Nikora
                                              --------------------------
                                        Title: Managing General Partner
                                               -------------------------

                           [signature page continues]


                                      -3-
<PAGE>   7



                                        ABLECO FINANCE LLC,
                                        a Delaware limited liability company,
                                        as a Lender and as agent for its
                                        successors and assigns


                                        By /s/Kevin Genda
                                           ---------------------------------
                                        Name: Kevin Genda
                                              ------------------------------
                                        Title: Senior Vice President, Chief
                                               -----------------------------
                                               Credit Officer
                                               -----------------------------


                                      -4-