Federal Regulators Hear About Predatory Towing
Towing companies are often pointed at as a major scapegoat in the trucking industry, but that reputation is not without warrant: predatory towing is perhaps the one thing everyone in the trucking industry despises, such as when they charge for two days when they pull it at 11:59 P.M. To that end, the Department of Transportation took to hearing complaints on June 21st.
Details
The session began with Secretary Pete Buttigieg stating the purpose of the session, as to not decry honorable towing companies.
“Of course, there are necessary and fair costs associated with the towing of a commercial vehicle,” Buttigieg said. “But some companies have seen an opportunity to charge exorbitant fees into the tens of thousands of dollars before returning a vehicle back to the truck driver. That isn’t right. It isn’t fair. This includes hiding fees until the tow is completed, charging for unnecessary services, or imposing fees or excessive amounts just because the towing company thinks that it can get away with it.”
The session heard from the usual suspects, such as trucking companies voicing their complaints about predatory towing, but also there were towing companies arguing in favor of some of their business practices, such as the added cost for the perk of having a tow truck when it is needed most.
“We are required to respond 24/7, 365 days a year even during holiday dinners, during tragedies, no matter what to clear the roadways. We don’t have the ability to say, ‘schedule that truck to roll over on Thursday please at 10 a.m.,’ ” Thomas Tedford of Guardian Fleet Services said. “Generally it happens at 11 o’clock at night — and the geographic concerns we have across the country. Incidents are vastly different. This is not a one-rate-fixes-all subjects. It’s across the board.”
Conclusion
While we are in agreement with Thomas Tedford that convenience should come at a cost, especially with tows happening on Christmas morning, some of the other tactics levied by the towing industry can lead to a negative reputation, one that regulators should consider managing to help both industries thrive in the face of a few shady companies.
“Yes, we do have bad apples,” said Bruce Bender at the session, who is administrator for the Towing and Recovery Association of Ohio, “but very few compared to the good guys that are out there in the industry.”
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