Some tow truck drivers doubtful about proposed city procedures
Monday morning’s precipitation mix caused fender benders and crashes from the South Side to Squirrel Hill. Just after 7 a.m., emergency dispatchers could be heard over a police scanner radio discussing three cars that slid off Potomac Avenue in the city’s Banksville neighborhood.
Tow truck drivers were certainly tuned in — just as they are beginning to dial in to a city plan that could dramatically change the way they do business in Pittsburgh.
“There’s quite a few companies that are legitimate companies, and they listen to a police scanner,” said Jason Watkins, owner of Jay’s Towing in Brighton Heights. “We know all the streets in the city, we go to a wreck.”
He said there are some “bad”
operators in the business that are considered “chasers” because they hurry to accident scenes in hopes of hooking the resulting business.
The city of Pittsburgh is now trying to stop so-called chaser tow truck drivers from racing to crash scenes, which public safety officials say “creates unsafe conditions” — a justification that comes just weeks after an incident in which one tow truck driver critically injured another after arguing at a crash site within city limits.
The city announced Friday that it has launched a bidding process for towing companies to split coverage areas.
But some in the towing industry are afraid the regulations will kill business.
Mr. Watkins, who lives in Brighton Heights, said he heard about the city’s effort when another person in the industry gave him a call.
“Is it going to push out the good ones or bad ones? I don’t know. There’s not enough answers out there,” said Mr. Watkins, who said he’s looked at the city website and has called to ask questions.
In an effort to stop the chasing, the city is seeking to designate one towing company to respond to car crash scenes in each of the city’s six police zones. Companies can bid on more than one zone.
According to the city’s request for proposals, eligible towing companies must have at least three trucks on call that each have a gross vehicle weight rating of 17,500 pounds; be able to provide a flatbed that could haul two vehicles simultaneously; and have a facility that can store at least 10 vehicles within a 2-mile radius of the city.
Additionally, towing charges would be determined by the city’s towing ordinance, which now sets pickup fees for passenger cars, light trucks and motorcycles at $135.
Mr. Watkins said his company operates five tow trucks, including flatbeds, and that he could store up to 11 vehicles inside his Brighton Heights garage, or as many as 40 on his outside property. He charges $395 for a tow from a crash scene.
Mr. Watkins said that adjusting to a lower fee is “not going to be feasible” for his business when considering his operating costs of plates, insurance and maintenance.
But according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration, “safety and customer protections” are paramount for those who find themselves in car crashes or disabled vehicles on city streets.
“When numerous tow trucks hurry to the scene of a vehicle crash it creates several safety concerns,” Pittsburgh’s public safety director Wendell Hissrich wrote in an emailed statement Monday. “First, they are competing to get to the scene and therefore often speed and break traffic laws to get there first, which creates unsafe conditions. Second, as many as six tow trucks can show up for a single-vehicle crash, which adds to traffic congestion.”
Mr. Hissrich said that he’s been to crash scenes where tow truck drivers have gotten into arguments.
“Police officers then have to act as mediators when they should be focused on assisting victims or directing traffic. It’s not safe. From a public safety perspective, the time has come for action,” he continued.
On Feb. 2, an argument between two tow truck drivers in Homewood led to a shooting that left one of them in critical condition, according to police.
The incident on Washington Boulevard near Shetland Avenue occurred when multiple tow truck drivers responded to an accident and two of them got into an argument. One pulled a baseball bat from his truck, and another drew a gun and shot the other, according to police.
This is not the first time the city has butted heads with the towing industry.
Pittsburgh police have publicly complained in recent years about trouble between tow truck drivers.
And in 2012, local towing business owner John F. Halbleib filed an injunction in federal court against the city after he claimed towing business was unfairly given to city contractor McGann and Chester. He settled the case with the city in 2013.
Mr. Halbleib, who owns the Hazelwood-based businesses Halbleib Auto Body and DMaxx Authomotive, said he plans to fight the city’s new plans. Among several issues he sees with regulations, he said, he disagrees with a provision in the city’s request for proposals that states that towing businesses affiliated with auto body shops cannot apply for one of the zones.
Additionally, he said that splitting the service among the zones will hinder his business.
“Sometimes there’s not even one wreck in your zone for two days,” he said.
The city deadline for bid applications is March 8.