I seriously doubt 250.00 for a drop fee, I know where I live the law states 50.00 as a drop fee standard, unless there is a outbound mileage cost 0r additional equipment/labor cost such as Go Jacks, Dollies, ECT.

I find it funny that you act as though we are predators and that the business that we conduct is shady and unscrupulous.

To explain my point I am going to tell you a bit about myself, Before I started my own towing company, I worked for another company here in town. There I earned the nickname “The Impound Hound” because I could drag in 4-7 Cars in the span of 3 1/2 hours 3-4 nights a week.

The main parking lots that I towed from were a Office building that housed several doctors offices, and a bank parking lot that were bot adjacent to a large cowboy bar.

There were nights that Id be driving the recovery pulling cars out of the lot up the street to waiting flat beds, and we could grab upwards of 10 cars.

This would mean having a group of 20-30 people who were rather upset with the situation when the bar closed at 2:00am.

Now each of these vehicles racked up an initial bill of about 156.65 including sales tax each. If I had a good night and drug in 7 cars, that is about 1096.55 total.

One night after towing 4 cars, while grabbing number 6, I was approached by the owner of the club and offered two thousand dollars to stop towing, he was having a big night, and did not want his patrons disturbed because when the word got out that I was towing cars, everyone started leaving.

I declined his offer however, Sure I could have stuffed 2 grand in my pocket and still got paid for 4 cars, but I did not. And the reason why is I told him that I shook a mans hand and told him I would do a job.

I towed 3 more cars that night.

Does this make me a rampant asshole who is out to nothing more than hurt and inconvenience people? Not in the slightest!

Here is why, as I mentioned before, one of the lots that I towed from is a doctors office, well it just so happens that the doctors office on the side of the building that faces the club is that of a pediatrician.

Why is this relevant? Well see knowing what I know about you from reading your previous posts here, I know immediately you were feeling compassion and empathy for the people who wound up hoofing it after I impounded their rides.

The problem is the rowdy crowd that comes out of the BAR at 2:00 am likes to smash beer bottles and piss in the parking lot that at 8:00 am will be filled with soccer moms dragging their toddlers in to get a checkup.

Do you think it is fair to the doctors office, or to the patrons there of to have to exit their vehicles in a urine soaked parking lot littered with broken glass left there by people who were ultimately trespassing?

Or am I the bad guy for towing some ones car after they were stupid enough to drive right past a 19×24″ red and white reflective sign the bottom of which is between 3 and 5′ off the ground, clearly posted on every driveway to the parking lot facing the entrance.

Really does that make me wrong and them right? Never mind the fact that some times these idiots would pull in and wait for me to pull a car out so they could park in the same place!

Now I know what you are going to say, you are going to tell me that it is apples and oranges, that you were not parked at a party bar, that you were not drinking, you were coming from a competition right?

Well you are still wrong and here is why, before you stated that the driver had to back up the alley a very long ways to hook to your vehicle. This means that he could not pass your vehicle in the alley, and that it was blocking the alleyway.

I can guarantee you that if the tow truck could not pull around your car to hook on to it, that a fire truck, ambulance, or other such emergency vehicle could not do so either.

There fore you are wrong, it doesn’t matter if you were parked there for 2 seconds or 2 hours, if you left your vehicle double parked, you were wrong.

As well if the tow truck driver was actively patrolling the parking lot at your complex, then obviously there is a problem there with people parking vehicles places they are not supposed to be. That would mean that you are contributing to the problem, and your personal situation is unimportant and impertinent.

I will say this though judging from what I have seen you write here, I personally feel as though you are in dire need of quite a few more humbling experiences.

Reasonable, mostly law-abiding folks become virulently angry when their car becomes impounded for an illegal behavior on their parts.

Towers become proportionately defensive when their livelihood and professionalism is attacked by those who believe we deserve destructive retribution for performing an impound on illegally parked car.

That in itself is not surprising. What is surprising is that the “victims” here, as in most of these exchanges, politely acknowledge that SOME impounds may be necessary, and so by extension towers may be a necessary evil, but that the towing laws and practices are essentially skewed, and towers that are contracted to uphold private property rights by exercising those laws are socially and ethically substandard in some manner.

So, what I get from these arguments is that we towers are somehow supposed to have the patience of a saint, the observation and deduction skills of a talented negotiator, and the empathy of the greatest anthropologists, all so that when we arrive on scene at a vehicle placed illegally on private property we can use these skills and talents to determine whether or not this particular vehicle DESERVES to be towed.

Nevermind that we are employed to remove ANY vehicle not in accordance with the property owner’s wishes, and nevermind that the property owner has the legal right to set ANY standard he or she chooses for vehicle removal.

If we patiently listened to the driver’s reasons for being improperly parked, and sympathized with the necessity, or agreed with the driver’s assessment that they weren’t hurting anyone by being there, and dismissed the fact that the vehicle owner was breaking the law and subsequently abandoned the tow and drove away, WE WOULD STILL BE IN THE WRONG IN YOUR EYES.

Why? Because you would be the angry person who goes to work at 2:00 am but was forced to be late because somebody was parked behind you, unloading their trunk. Or you would be the person who pays for a parking space just so your partner can use it on the weekends, and is infuriated that the rude folks next door “borrow” it all the time. Or perhaps you would be the frantic parent screaming helplessly at the clueless teenager that parked in the fire lane blocking the EMTs from accessing her building quickly enough to help her injured child.

Bottom line, if a property owner doesn’t have a policy to tow every single vehicle that doesn’t specifically follow the rules, these types of scenarios will arise…and the property owner is, in every possible parking situation, of weary of them. So they hire us to do their “dirty work.

And by the time they contract with a towing agency, they have disassociated themselves from the idea that vehicles are owned by real people, and they see only cars–problem cars.

Towers, therefore, must see them as only cars as well. Cars that have broken the law. We cannot allow ourselves to differentiate between those cars with truly blatant disregard for the rules, and those that “aren’t really hurting anything.” Regardless of whether we are hired to tow on call, patrol and tow, monitor and tow, or simply perform a one-time service for the property owner, we must do it, regardless of how it makes the car owner feel, or how it affects the owner’s pocket book.

And yes, we chose our profession. So yes, we should be able to take the heat. And for the most part we do. But just like non-towers, we fume about those of us that are especially crass or unprofessional about their work, because those behaviors reflect upon us all.

But here is a final thought for those of you who would stereotype towers as old, unshaven men with bad attitudes forcing you into giving up the rent money. Perhaps multiple encounters with vehicle owners adamantly screeching about their god-given rights to do something illegal with their car has caused us to turn an overly deaf ear to the few that are speaking the truth. Perhaps being verbally and physically attacked when we are doing what we have been in instructed to do by the legal property owner has caused us to develop that bad attitude you think we shouldn’t have. And perhaps, just perhaps, if everybody who owned a car respected the basic rules of a society that values property rights, there would be no reason for mean old men to steal cars from innocent people that weren’t hurting anybody in the first place.

I too am done here. It’s not about winning or losing in this discussion but merely about giving you a new perspective into what it is that we do. I think you still harbor hatred for our industry and I do understand those feelings and where they might have originated.

I also understand and am not denying that there are some very bad people in our industry that do take advantage in some of these cases. I also believe it’s a very small percentage of the time and the only reason it seems more is because of the media in this country creating a human interest feeding frenzy. They can and do take a single incident and blow it all out of proportion in the “interest of the public good” which really means “In the interest of selling the news for profit”

I am hoping that our interaction here has at least given you food for thought.

Have a great day and good luck.

I was NOT drunk. I was not drinking. I, in fact, was coming home from a competition. It was late and the town was asleep (save one tow trucker). I understand the risk of blocking an alley and the consequences that are associated with said risk. However, my car was not blocking the alley. (which was the reason he presented) If it was, I don’t see any physical way for the tow trucker to possibly hook my car up unless he drove all the way down the alley in reverse.

The 18 year old girl in the car was scared shitless from the late night encounter and did not dare step out of the vehicle. Judging from the stories I’ve read, once truckers hook your car up, it’s no longer a question of legality, morality, or ethics, but rather a battle for pride. There was obviously someone in the car. I was obviously unloading gear from my trunk. The one and a half parking spots that were blocked were mine and my neighbors. No one called in. He would hear none of it. He did however listen to how much cash I had in my wallet.

This was not about me trying to justify my gripes through unrelated examples. I have been towed for illegally parking before and I do not blame anyone but myself. This however was not the case. I clearly stated that I respect what service you provide, but it is extremely difficult for any of you to declare that there are shady, dishonest people in your industry who have tarnished the name of the tow trucker. Keep it real folks. There are good and bad professionals everywhere. It’s unfortunate that the bad ones ruin it for everyone else. But accusing me of drinking and driving is absurd. I see how you write off anything I’ve said because you assume that I was some punk college kid who was intoxicated. Wrong.

The point is this: The rules were not made by the tower/impounder. The rules were made by another entity… AND YOU AGREED TO ABIDE BY THEM. Now that you have been caught NOT abiding, and have been “served”, you scream foul. Who is actually worse here, the guy that got caught drunk driving or the cop trying to protect the general public…

This story was blown out of proportion… But the point still sticks. Illegally parking (handicapped or fire lanes), parking in two spaces (let me take what I want and screw the rest of you), tresspassing (let me come into YOUR house w/out asking) is a PAIN for all involved and should not be tollerated. If you do not like the rules, try to change them, or then don’t live there, do business there, don’t drive, don’t own a vehicle…. OR SAY… HEY!!! LIKE ABIDE BY THE RULES!!!!

30 seconds is all it takes to hook a car, you are right but I wonder if you have any idea about the costs involved to be able to get to a point where I can do that 30 second hook.

INSURANCE is one big one. Figure 12 to 18 grand per truck / per year.

FUEL is another one. How much do you think it costs to fill a diesel truck nowadays? How about when the per gallon price exceeds $4 a gallon? Try doing it several times a day and see how long your puny arsed savings last.

OFFICE EXPENSES. How much do you think it costs to run and staff an office 24/7 every stinking day of the year?

LOT SECURITY. I won’t even go there when you start adding up the 480V 1200 Watt light bulb costs, (think 20 refrigerators running nonstop per bulb!) not to mention security cameras, fencing, asphalt, etc etc etc. Oh and lets not forget that bullet proof glass I need to have to protect my office staff from freaks like you.

EMPLOYEE PAY. How much do you think it costs to pay a competent person do do this job 60 or more hrs a week?

LEGAL COSTS from nitwits like you who think they can win some frivolous “I’ll show you MR tow guy” lawsuit. BTW, I have NEVER lost one.

JUNK CARS THAT GET ABANDONED in our yards? How much you think they are worth when steel is at $40 or $60 a ton? More than 40% of the stuff we get is junk and has almost ZERO value.

STOLEN CARS Interesting fact! 60% of the stolen cars found in this country are found by companies just like mine. Have you had yours stolen lately? What happened when you went to pick it up? I bet you weren’t even charged for it.

1 minute’s worth of work is all you see.

I do not have a bad rep. Everyone that knows me knows I am as honest as they come. I have to be because people like you are ALWAYS looking for a way to get back at me for keeping you in line and helping to defend the property owners in this country from your foul sense (or actual lack of) moral perpetuity! DUDE!

Here it is in a nutshell. Don’t trespass or damage or use without permission a piece of private property in this country and you will never EVER meet me or anyone like me.

Now, I’m done here. I think it’s time you grew up, got a real job and started taking responsibility for your own actions for a change….

Oh one more thing. This is not all I do. All towers have to offer a range of services to make ends meet and I think you’ll find that every city tower does some level of impound work along with motor clubs, standard tows, accident tows and contracts, commercial repair shop tows and equipment moving. Without being able to diversify, we would never be able to service you when you call your motor club and expect a free tow because you don’t check the air in your tires or the oil in your engine.

Of course I guess that would mean that you think ALL towers are abusive. Try taking that tact with the next guy that comes out to save you in a blizzard snow storm at -10 degrees and see how fast you turn into a NNoXX Popsicle. They are one and the same you know.

Why is your car being broken into an abuse of power on the towers part? If your car was damaged in some way while it was in storage why don’t you take them to court for the damages? Trying to lay a blanket of blame on the entire industry or even just on all the towers that do non consent tows does not help your situation at all.

It seems pretty easy to prove that the car was damaged in their possession unless they took pictures of it before it was towed that showed the damage as pre existing.

I know, maybe the cops got some kind of agreement with the storage facility for stereo radios? Or the drivers are dicing and slicing the cars in their yard that the cops KNOW they have? (Yes, every car that’s impounded in this country is immediately reported to the police and has a case number)

The fact remains. You got your car towed because you broke the rules of your complex. You are mad about that and you are looking for someone to blame. The tow operator is not at fault who, by the way, is just the middle man in this whole situation.

Lets try something different. I want you to put yourself in the property owners position. Now, tell me another way of dealing with abandoned and improperly parked cars. I will show you how each idea you come up with has been tried and why it didn’t work.