ESC

18 hours ago, TowForce said:

How Philadelphia Stopped The Rogue Tow Truck Drivers Plaguing Chicago

 

CHICAGO (CBS) – While the City of Chicago struggles with rogue tow truck drivers who rip off motorists for thousands of dollars in fees, the city of Philadelphia addressed that problem about 10 years ago.

 

In Philly, the city requires tow truck companies to be on a city-approved list. The drivers work on a rotational basis. There are 30 companies on the list, and they are allowed to operate in up to four of six geographical areas. A company at the top of the list gets the assigned tow and then moves to the bottom. The city also requires the operators to respond to a call within 20 minutes.

 

Philadelphia has operated under this system for 10 years. Illinois passed a law in 2008 that allows police to call a private company to tow a vehicle. But, because it’s a city of more than 1 million, Chicago is exempt and officials haven’t shown a willingness to allow it. As a result, accident-chasing tow drivers show up on a scene and take advantage of motorists, charging them thousands of dollars for tows and storage.

 

“It has not stopped wreck-chasing entirely, but it has certainly helped the City tighten up the enforcement process against bad actors and enhanced the effectiveness of the rotational towing program,” said Philadelphia city spokeswoman Maita Soukup.

 

The city imposes a standard fee for the tow and storage fees. The towing fees range from $215 to $400, depending on the weight of the vehicle.  The daily storage fee ranges from $25 to $75.

 

Tow truck operators face fines up to $1,000 for drivers who repeatedly violate the city’s ordinance.

 

Philadelphia also requires tow truck drivers to have a smart phone with internet access and a photo ID.

 

New York City has operated a similar program for more than 30 years. Towing fees there range from $125 to $140. Storage is $25 per day for three days, then increases to $27.

 

The list of approved operators are called to an accident by police, who are responsible for maintaining the list of companies.

 

The city acknowledges that illegal tows are still among the top complaints. New York’s Department of Consumer and Work Protection recently launched an investigation into tow truck insurance fraud.

 

That is sure interesting that they are talking about Philadelphia having the issue handled, since they are still a mess.  Phila recently got AutoReturn in there and things are still a joke.

Today I had the pleasure of picking up this beauty from our friends at Wheels in Motion in Pottstown PA after a full restoration. It was delivered to its owner this afternoon.

 

We have our BA Products soft tie downs and soft bridle made to protect a beautiful car like this during transport.

 

 

 

 

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This afternoon Paul Jr was called to Fairview Road approx 1/2 mile east of Route 401 for a BMW X5 in a ditch. We found no damage to the vehicle and the right front wheel was in a drainage culvert.

 

A low line was place on the driver’s side rear lower control arm using an endless loop. As soon and tension was applied, the left rear wheel dropped to the ground and the right front lifted up out of the culvert. The vehicle was placed in neutral and winched back to the roadway with no damage. The vehicle was driven from the scene.

 

 

 

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Sorry, the pics got posted in reverse order

 

We received a call from Uwchland Police Department at 9:55 PM 9/11/19 to respond to a single vehicle accident at Route 113 and Holmes Drive.  We were advised one vehicle was down an embankment.  We immediately dispatched a flatbed truck and a wrecker to the scene.  Upon arrival we found the vehicle had spun off the roadway down a small embankment into a swamp.  Once given permission, the vehicle was winched to the roadway.  It was then loaded onto our flatbed truck and secured for transportation back to our main location.  Debris was swept from the roadway.  Once back at our main location the vehicle was placed in our secure storage lot.

 

It turns out the vehicle was driven by a young local firefighter who was coming around a turn too fast on the way to the firehouse for a fire call.  No one was injured, except the truck.

 

 

 

 

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We were called just after 9 pm on 9/5/19 for one vehicle after a crash on Route 401 in the area of St Matthews Road. We were asked to standby at the church as wires were down on top of a vehicle.  The driver and his son were trapped in the vehicle due to the live wires down.   They remained in the vehicle until Peco arrived to verify that power was shut off.

 

Once Peco gave permission we were able to winch the vehicle back to the roadway. The Peco crew helped us out by lifting the wires over the vehicle as Paul Jr winched it out of the ditch. The vehicle was loaded onto the Paul Sr’s flatbed and transported to our storage facility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd say your nuts to not get a card up front from them. I won't even tow a car from my shop to across the street in a P.O. for them anymore due just this reason. That club has been on my s-list since the cross country days and they've done nothing to change that since. At least you had a nice ride though and it wasn't raining the whole time.

Typically I am right there with you. I usually am credit card only for anything weird. On a rare occasion I’ll take a PO for a decent job. This is one where I have everything documented by a supervisor and everything is mapped and and accurate. I’ve always been able to collect every penny so when the numbers are right I’ll take my chances. Yesterday was a good run with all clear weather and no traffic. The downside is that I didn’t get home till 1 am.... I’m tired!


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I’ve been through it all before and typically we do very little club work without a credit card up front anymore. But yesterday, a decent job came in and I went for it. The Honda Accord was 3 miles from our shop and needed to go 276 miles, all except 3 miles of that would be on the PA Turnpike to Pittsburgh. I got approval for $414 in deadhead miles. ($1.50 per mile x 276 miles) and got it all in the notes. This morning I go to submit the bill and get an error message. The message shows that tows over 250 miles are not permitted. If that’s the case, don’t send me on a 276 mile job. Ha

 

Anyway I called in and they have me faxing over the invoice.

 

It was a good job, 12 hour round trip with 2 rest stops and an hour stop for a good dinner. Worked out to average $120 per hour from them.

 

 

 

 

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On 9/7/2019 at 4:15 PM, dperone said:

I will say this contest has me back into taking a bunch of pictures. Lately I'm usually by myself for at least the recovery portion and don't have time to take a ton of pictures. With a new light bar on the line though, my last roll over I stopped winching on it at least twice to get a good shot. 

I try to get as many pictures as I can, before, during and after we clean up a crash.  I use them on our shop Facebook page for promotion, as well as when needed to show an insurance company what we did so we can easily get paid.   The new lightbar has me posting more here too.

 

dperone- I hope you keep it up with the pictures of your recoveries.  I always enjoy your posts as you seem to do things very similar to the way we do.   I run an MPL40 wrecker and use dollies a ton and my Dad is regularly out there working wrecks too.

On 9/7/2019 at 2:44 PM, TowZone said:

The chance of winner are now just 1 in 4. If you told me that in July I would have laughed. At this point it not a case of message board traffic. It's a case that many have gotten used to the single image topic on Facebook and forgotten how to create posts with disruptions. Recoveries with discussions to learn from....

I too am amazed that there hasnt been more participation... especially with such a great prize.     I do update our shop Facebook page regularly, and forget about posting here sometimes too, but ive been trying a bit more lately.   I post from the app on my Iphone, and find it a bit tedious to list each picture individually, especially when there is a bunch of pics.   I did see now that you can pay to subscribe and be able to host multiple images at a time which i need to take the time to look into and see the details.  Being able to host multiple images quickly would help me post alot.

On 9/7/2019 at 10:18 PM, Orcas Tow said:

 You can't do a rollover with a flatbed, need 2 trucks, wrecker for the rollover & flatbed for the tow, just joking. Nice work:)

Ha.... well typically I do roll a wrecker and a bed when we have the resources available.   But in this case, my dad and Bob had just met at the shop to go get breakfast before we opened at 8 am.  They were 1 mile away from the crash when the call came in and each in a bed.  I was still sleeping like a baby 9 miles away at home with a wrecker.... no sense in dragging me in when its a job they could handle.  Plus it is a very busy roadway at that time of morning, the quickest way to open the lanes was get it handled with the equipment that was close by.

 

We just got paid on the Mitsubishi and we have a driver delivering it to the owners home in Philadelphia now.  He wanted to pay the bill and deal with the insurance company himself.   The owners of the Explorer havent contacted us yet, but it seems like one we may end up stuck with from the sounds of it.

22 hours ago, mooresbp said:

Nice job. The only thing I saw was in the second pic was your hook has the eye facing down, can't tell in the next pic. No biggie I just try to turn eye to the sky every time so it is a habit. Never had one break and don't wish that on anyone but just in case........

Good eye!     I didnt even notice that myself.   I wasnt out on this job myself, but ill pass on the info to the operator that handled it.

Bob and Paul Sr were called to Route 100 north at Eagleview Blvd yesterday 9/6/19 at 6:28 am for a two vehicle crash. We were advised one vehicle was overturned. The Mitsubishi was on Eagleview Blvd and the Ford overturned in the northbound lane of Route 100.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last night September 3rd, we received a call from West Vincent Police Department at 5:47 PM to respond to the 2100 Block of Conestoga Road for one vehicle after an accident. We were advised one vehicle was overturned. We immediately dispatched Bob in one of our flatbed trucks and Bill in a wrecker. Upon arrival we found the vehicle on its roof blocking the roadway with glass and debris throughout the area. Multiple tires on the vehicle were flat. Once given permission, our operators were able to carefully winch the vehicle back to its wheels. The vehicle was then loaded onto our flatbed truck. Debris was swept from the roadway and placed into disposal containers. The vehicle was secured and transported back to our location. Once back at our storage facility, the vehicle was place in our secure storage lot. Crash wrap was used to cover all broken windows. The battery was disconnected for safety. The driver was not injured. The vehicle was towed out this morning by AAA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On Sunday September 1st we were called for an suv in a drainage ditch on Horseshoe Trail in the area of Janie Lane. Bill and Paul Sr headed to the scene. The vehicle had been left unattended and was locked up with no key present. The vehicle had traveled over a drainage culvert pipe and a large boulder but the exterior of the vehicle sustained very minor damage. The vehicle was recovered from the ditch without further damage and towed using our MPL40 wrecker and dollies to our storage facility until the police were able to locate the owner. The vehicle was picked up today and transported to a repair facility in Pottstown for inspection of the undercarriage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We received a call from West Vincent Police Department at 12:42 AM to respond to the 700 block of St Matthews Road near Malhorne Road for one vehicle after an accident.  We were advised of a large pickup truck over 30 feet from the roadway.  We immediately dispatched two of our wreckers to the scene.  Upon arrival we found the vehicle had traveled off the roadway, over some large rocks and into the wooded area of a residence.  We talked with the property owner and obtained permission to recover the vehicle from the safety of the driveway.  Once given permission, one of the wreckers was pulled forward into the driveway.  The other backed in.  Both wreckers were used to winch the vehicle out of the woods to the driveway.  Once positioned in the driveway, the front of the truck was lifted and placed onto cribbing.  Due to the heavy damage to the front axle and suspension, we determined that using a sling would be the best method of towing the damaged truck.  Our operators setup our sling attachment and connected the truck.  We found the truck had been in 4 wheel drive, so the 4x4 was disengaged.  Debris was swept from the scene and placed into disposal containers.  Oil dry was used to absorb hazardous fluids that had leaked onto the driveway.  The vehicle was carefully backed out of the driveway into a local parking lot.  Safety chains and tow lights were installed.  The vehicle was transported to our main location.  Once back at our main location the vehicle was placed in our secure storage facility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We received a call from Upper Uwchlan Police Department at 10:28 AM to respond to Hickory Park on Park Road for one vehicle after an accident. We immediately dispatched one of our flatbed trucks to the scene. Upon arrival we found a vehicle that had run through a concrete and wood fence along the parking lot. We were able to winch the vehicle directly onto our flatbed. Cribbing was used to raise the front end of the vehicle to keep from causing any more damage to the undercarriage. The wood and concrete that was scattered throughout the area was picked up and loaded onto our flatbed truck. We called and requested a traffic cone and caution tape and additional laborer be sent to the scene. The broken concrete post was placed on our flatbed truck. All debris was picked up from the area. A traffic cone was placed over the hole that remained from the fence post. Caution tape was used to mark off the area of broken fence. The vehicle and debris was transported to our storage facility. No one was injured in the collision.  The new driver was learning to drive with mom and practicing in the parking lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My guess from the description would be an Eagle Claw.   I remember that same issue when I was first thrown into an Eagle Claw with no training.  If thats the case, here is a video that I found showing how to.

 

 

This was a call from the State Police for a pickup overturned down an embankment a few months back.

 

The fire chief called and let me know that it was a Dodge Dually over a guard rail with a large amount of debris. It was a Sunday morning around 8 am. Since I happen to live just around the corner and didn't have a truck home that weekend I responded direct in my personal car. My dad went to the shop and got our 98 international 12 ton wrecker and we called in two of our other operators one in a 2011 Dodge 5500 mpl40 and our 2013 Hino flatbed.

 

We worked with the fire company to cut the damaged section of guard rail and remove the debris that was scattered through the woods. We used our two wreckers and a few Holmes trees to move the truck back ward toward the open section of the guardrail and roll it back into its wheels in one motion. It was then pulled fully onto the roadway and loaded onto our Hino. The rest of the debris was piled into the back of the truck. The owner had us transport it direct to his farm not far away. The recovery bill was paid in full upon delivery. It took a bit of explaining for him to understand the fees involved in this recovery after his initial "sticker shock" when he saw the invoice. But in the end he understood and was happy. After we squared away I treated our crew to a good breakfast at a local deli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This call came in from Local PD as a single vehicle crash. I arrived on scene in our Dodge 5500 MPL40 wrecker. Once I did I called for a flatbed to come to the scene. The driver was parking the vehicle and said the accelerator stuck. He traveled over a parking curb and into a pine tree. Security video showed the vehicle started up the tree until the tree was uprooted. The vehicle continued through some bushes and came to rest straddling some curbing. We used our wrecker to recovery the vehicle and it was loaded on our our flatbed. The flatbed took the vehicle to the shop to unload. I remained on scene with the wrecker and started to pull out the damaged trees and bushes. Our cleanup truck and trailer came to the scene with chainsaws and power broom. Our flatbed returned to collect the debris. We all worked at getting things cleaned up. The landscaping company that handles that property is going to replant bushes and all this spring. We were paid in full by Erie Ins. They even paid us to transport the vehicle 50 miles to a Subaru dealer in Harrisburg for further investigation into the "stuck throttle"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an example of the notes that show not covered additional services. I found this picture online as a reference to what I meant. Basically it shows covered for a basic lockout. If any additional services are requested the ones listed will not be covered by the policy.



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the "Included"  line shows what benefits the member is entitled to.  Each policy is different.  But in the case of a tow that comes through for you it may say storage, unlock, tie change.... these are all services that would be covered by Agero if the member needed them.    Sometimes youll also see excluded items listed.  I know i have seen it on a tire change - excluded delivery to dealer (meaning a tow is not covered) or locking lug nut removal as a not covered item.  The problem with agero is that everything is so inconsistent.   And as you know better than most, dont automatically think they will pay for it if you bill it.  You need to call in and get approval and all first.

 

We dont do much Agero anymore unless its credit card up front for a $175 minimum.  They only call me when everyone else screws up or doesnt show up, so we hammer them hard on pricing.  Typically we are around $375 for a somewhat basic job for them and had as high as $1500 in the past.

Looks great!  We have always had a fenced in yard.   About 10 years ago, we expanded the size of the lot... I was surprised at the time to realize how much fence costs.  But it ads a much more professional look.  Out of curiosity, what do you charge for storage?  Are you charging more for secured storage?

 

Our rate is and has been $50/ calendar day for years.

7 minutes ago, TowZone said:

Interesting, I placed this is the list as a light duty entry. However, I need a truck hooked up to the bike in the images to qualify. it seems that isn't stated in the rules. We wanted few rules.

No problem... its all I got from the guys that worked the wreck.   Hopefully it will be a busy holiday weekend and we will add some fun ones.

Very good idea!  Not to mention, I could use a new towmate!   Just wish I had more good work lately... its all been small boring jobs.

At 4:48 pm 6/13 we received a call for two vehicles blocking Ship Road just off of Route 100. Paul Jr and Paul Sr quickly moved both vehicles out of the roadway. A large amount of glass was swept from the scene. A Saab 93 and a Toyota Corolla were towed from the scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Today we were a little short handed and it got pretty busy. Luckily Matt from Fling's Towing Inc. was willing to give us a hand.

 

At 6:09 pm we were called to Route 113 in front of the Lionville Middle School for two vehicles after an accident. Paul Sr and Dylan has just responded to another crash in Upper Uwchlan moments before and Paul Jr was the only truck close to Route 113. Once he arrived on scene he found two vehicles blocking the travel lane and a large amount of fluid and debris in the roadway. The initial plan was to use the wrecker to move both vehicles to a parking lot in order to open the road quickly until one of our other trucks could make it to the scene to help. Just as Paul Jr started to load the Volvo he saw a truck from Flings Towing stuck in the traffic backlog. Matt was willing to help us out and towed one of the cars. Matt loaded the Ford Mustang and helped clean up the fluids. Paul Jr loaded the Volvo S60 and swept debris from the road. Both vehicles were quickly removed from the travel lanes and transported to our storage lot.

 

There can be a lot of competition in the world of towing. We really appreciate Matt and Flings Towing lending us a hand. Thanks for being in the right place at the right time!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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