Final Stretch: MOMS Act to increase oversight of towing sector passes stage of legislation
Ottawa, Ontario — The Moving Ontarians More Safely (MOMS) Act, 2021 which seeks to strengthen oversight of the vehicle towing and storage industry, as well as to create tougher penalties for drivers caught engaging in high-risk driving, recently passed another stage in the legislative process. On May 31, 2021, the Third Reading of Bill 282, the MOMS Act, […]
What’s Your Emergency: Motorists in Montreal must call 911 for a tow
Montreal, Quebec — 911 dispatchers in Montreal are about to get a lot busier. Montreal Police announced on Monday that motorists whose vehicles are blocking traffic on Montreal Island streets, due to mechanical issues or a collision, must call 911 to contact a tow truck. The policy follows a 2017 city inspector general’s report on towing […]
Slow Down, Move Over: Tow truck driver hit by vehicle in Calgary
Calgary, Alberta — A tow truck driver was taken to the hospital early morning on June 14 after being struck by a vehicle near Deerfoot City. According to Global News, police said the tow truck driver had parked the truck in the 5700 blocks of southbound 11 Street N.E. around 6 a.m. to aid a […]
Tow the Line: Ontario announces new rules targeted at tow industry violence
Toronto, Ontario — Four sections of highways in the GTA will become restricted tow zones that allow only a single company to operate within those areas, according to new towing industry rules announced by the Ontario government Tuesday. The pilot project will run for two years initially, with the potential for one-year extensions after that […]
PETAL TO THE METAL
Young people driving high Towing professionals might find dealing with millenials a little bit more difficult–and interactions with them a little more frequent–since the legalization of marijuana. According to a new study from the CAA, young Canadians frequently engage in dangerous behaviour involving the use of marijuana and automobiles. The findings are based on a […]
IN THE HEADLIGHTS
EAGLE TOWING SHAKES UP THE INDUSTRY Much like any industry, tow truck drivers often face backlash for their line of work. From a distrust of the system to an accusatory approach that some take towards the person who just rescued their car off the side of the road, people in the towing industry don’t have […]
ON YOUR MARK…
PTAO president Mark Graves on uniting the aftermarket behind a common purpose It has been a productive—if difficult— year for the Provincial Towing Association of Ontario’s president, Mark Graves. For one thing, press coverage of the towing industry in Ontario has paid special attention to the actions of a small group of criminals tenuously connected […]
BUILDING TRUST
Concerned about your advice to clients being misconstrued? When towing and recovery professionals are criticized, it is often because they are accused of pushing drivers to visit repair facilities with whom they have a kickback arrangement. While not unheard of, not every recommendation provided is done so for financial reasons. Even towing professionals with agreements […]
PERFORMANCE ANXIETY, SIZE SHAME
Why fortune will favour towing businesses that invest in long hauls BY GIDEON SCANLON Offering ‘friends rates’ might sound like a bad business philosophy, but, for mid-sized towing service providers looking to carve out a ‘blue ocean space’, there are advantages in certain situations. This month, one of the most respected papers on the auto […]
ENLIGHTENING LIGHTS
HIGHWAY THRU HELL’S AL QUIRING AND J.W. SPEAKER TEAM-UP ON ROADSIDE SAFETY BY GIDEON SCANLON If there’s one thing Al Quiring really wants to see his fellow towing professionals do, it is to take their personal safety more seriously. In fact, when asked what advice he would share with ambitious young people in the towing […]
