Alberta creates exclusion zone around collisions to deter predatory tow truck drivers
Tow truck drivers must be invited into exclusion zone or face $1,000 fine
Alberta's government is creating fines and rules meant to curb predatory tow truck drivers.
Starting Friday, there will be 200-metre exclusion zones around accident scenes for tow truck operators, who must stay back unless police or drivers involved say otherwise or face a $1,000 fine.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the government has heard concerns about tow truck drivers showing up at car accidents and pressuring those involved to unnecessarily accept their services.
In some cases, he said, tow truck drivers have charged excessive fees and withheld necessary information from those whose vehicles were towed.
"The last thing someone needs at a collision scene is to be harassed by dishonest tow truck drivers, pressuring them to agree to towing services," Dreeshen said.
"These changes penalize bad actors in the tow truck industry and shield Albertans from unethical practices."
Edmonton police Insp. Angela Kemp, speaking alongside Dreeshen, said the force has been aware of predatory towing for years.
Kemp said it has been difficult to assess the scale of the problem, as police rely on self-reporting, but there have been more reports of it in recent years as people become aware.
She gave two examples of police charging tow truck companies.
In October, a company was charged with theft over $5,000 for allegedly refusing to release a vehicle it had towed unless it received a fee from an insurance company. In May, the owners of 10 towing companies were charged with fraud, Kemp said.
"During this investigation, police discovered that numerous tow truck companies in Edmonton were reportedly fraudulently billing insurance companies for services that were not provided," she said.
"Police also learned that these companies were allegedly inflating bills, including charges to insurance companies of upwards of over $5,000 for basic collision tows."
The government's new rules are nearly identical to a bylaw passed earlier this year by Calgary city council, though the city's fine can be up to $10,000.
Dreeshen said the province's fine is lower because the government is trying to set a basic standard to ensure Albertans have the same protection.
He said the government's rules are a first step and further measures could be taken, such as following Ontario in developing a mandatory code of conduct and certification process for tow truck drivers.
"The government of Alberta will continue working with industry and other stakeholders to explore additional solutions."
Some towing companies said they support the measures announced by the province.
"I am dead against predatory towing practices," Don Getschel, owner of Oil Country Towing, told CBC in an interview.
"To see these companies popping up and taking advantage of Albertans, it was very disheartening."
Getschel, who is also a member of the AMA, said he was among those who were at the table with the province to craft the regulations announced on Thursday.
"It would be nice to … just to get the public educated to know what their rights are at a collision scene, and know that they don't have to just subject themselves to these towers just because they're being told they have to."
With files from Tristan Mottershead