Alberta cracks down on predatory tow truck drivers with new rule

The Alberta government is hoping to put an end to what it calls coercive, high-pressure tactics from tow truck drivers.

The province is bringing in measures aimed at punishing tow truck drivers who swoop in on crash scenes unannounced and tow vehicles without consent, fail to provide the proper information to vehicle owners, or financially exploit crash victims.

“A small number of bad actors are towing vehicles without providing necessary information to owners and charging excessive fees,” said Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen.

Starting Friday, there will be 200-metre exclusion zones around collision scenes to stop tow truck drivers from pitching their services. Tow operators cannot go in that zone unless police or a driver asks them to.

Those who break the rules would be fined $1,000.

“These rules will serve as a very important tool for law enforcement to help stop and crackdown on predatory towing operators,” said Jeff Kasbrick with the Alberta Motor Association. “At the same time, these changes ensure the continued confidence of Albertans in the many reputable towing operators across the province.”

Edmonton and Calgary had previously introduced measures to address the predatory behaviour.

“The last thing someone needs after a collision is to be taken advantage of by aggressive tow truck operators charging excessive fees,” Dreeshen said. “These new rules will protect Albertans from unethical behaviour, give drivers more control in a stressful moment, and help reduce insurance costs caused by inflated towing bills.”

Drivers, police and emergency services personnel can still request towing services when needed.

Connection to organized crime?

The Edmonton Police Service, which supports the province’s new rule, says it has made several arrests related to predatory tow truck drivers, and in some cases police are looking into connections to organized crime.

“Albertans have the right to select the towing company of their choice following a collision and should not feel pressured to immediately accept services offered at the scene,” said EPS Deputy Chief Nicole Chapdelaine.

The province says some Alberta drivers have reported being charged up to $2,500 for unrequested vehicle towing services.

EPS Supt. Angela Kemp says she’s aware of tow companies refusing to release vehicles unless they are paid $5,000.

“In May of this year, the owners of 10 towing companies were charged with fraud,” Kemp said. “During this investigation, police discovered that numerous towing companies in Edmonton were reportedly fraudulently billing insurance companies for tow services that were not provided.”

Officials estimate hundreds of Albertans fall victim to predatory towing each year. But exact data is not known because many are never reported to police.

Minister Dreeshen is also considering a code of conduct and mandatory certification for tow truck drivers, as well as forcing companies to publicly post their towing rates.

He says he’s closely watching similar rules in Ontario.

“Collision scenes are obviously chaotic and they’re stressful, often leaving drivers disorientated, injured or worse,” he said. “The last thing someone needs at a collision scene is to be harassed by dishonest tow truck drivers.”

The City of Calgary already has an exclusion zone and the minister says this will not impact that – rather it’s setting a minimum standard province-wide.

–With files from Sean Amato in Edmonton