By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express
Are they vultures out to get the first person who gets into a car accident?
Or are they simply making a living conducting business, just like anyone else?
These are questions the public will have to wait to have answered when it comes to a proposed bylaw the city is looking to enforce when it comes to tow truck operators in the city.
It’s a hot topic that led to a packed house at the most recent Finance and Administration Committee meeting.
So what’s is the issue? And when did this all start?
At a November 19 meeting, Bob Hockney and Robin Doiron from Jim’s Towing addressed the committee regarding the issue of some unregulated tow truck drivers called ‘chasers,’ coming to accident scenes and charging people outlandish prices for only a short tow.
These tow truck drivers are typically from out-of-town, they said.
After showing committee members a $700 bill for a less than 25 kilometre tow, it was recommended that staff liaise with other communities to see how they deal with the matter.
According to a staff report presented at the most recent meeting, Ajax and Pickering have passed bylaws to regulate the industry, while other cities outside Durham have developed a licensing process.
This led to the proposed bylaw, which would allow police officers or firefighters to control aggressive operators.
The report also states the bylaw would prohibit parking or stopping a tow truck or offering towing services at a motor vehicle collision scene or centre, unless they are authorized to do so.
Besides the deputations from both Hockney and Doiron, the report states police are also advocating for this bylaw. Fines would be imposed to offset administrative costs.
But this bylaw has some tow truck operators up in arms, saying it is unfair and they aren’t vultures out looking for prey.
“The industry is not being heard,” says Daniel Sanderson, who is a tow operator from Toronto, who conducts business all around the GTA and also the president of North American Auto Accident Pictures (NAAAP) Inc., a regulatory body for tow truck operators.
“Are there guys out there that are being unscrupulous? Yes, but there’s that in every business.”
“We’re here and we’re self-regulated. I believe that every tow operator has a right to make a living. Without them no cities move. I think you should maybe setup a committee for us to sit down. I really don’t think that bylaw would cause anything but mayhem.” Sanderson says NAAAP regulates drivers and those who have stickers on their tow trucks are members. They have certain regulations they must follow, he says. This stops price gouging.
Shane Ventura, of Ventura Towing, is the NAAAP rep for Durham Region. He has offices in Bowmanville and Oshawa.
He says this is giving police far too much power.
“That’s stepping above what the police are supposed to be doing on the scene of the accident,” he says. “I just don’t think it’s fair. Council doesn’t know. They only know what they were told. We do have a price guide. We’re trying to self-regulate. They’ve really stereotyped towing.”
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