Why this towing company is on the hook for $2,000 in damages
August 3, 2021 by Greg MeckbachIf your client dings another vehicle and informally offers $500 to the driver of the other vehicle, this does not limit your client’s liability to $500. This is one lesson from a British Columbia civil resolution tribunal ruling released last…
How to detect insurance fraud before the tow truck turf wars start
March 26, 2021 by Jason ContantEarly identification of potential insurance fraud schemes through automation can help prevent scenarios like the towing turf wars in Ontario from spiralling out of control, the CEO and co-founder of FRISS said Wednesday. “I think it is crucial for the…
Aviva reacts to new Ontario towing restrictions
March 3, 2021 by Greg MeckbachAviva Canada is supporting new provincial towing restrictions on some Toronto area provincial expressways. On some sections of road, a single towing company will be contracted to remove private passenger vehicles that need to be towed, the Ontario government announced…
IBC praises new towing guidelines in Ontario
February 5, 2021 by Jason ContantInsurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is applauding the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on its new towing services guidelines aimed at providing clear direction to tow operators. “These guidelines are another tool to help protect drivers and ensure that at the…
Toronto officer now allegedly linked to illegal tow truck scheme
June 24, 2020 Paola Loriggio - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – A Toronto police officer arrested last week in the theft of a police radio has now allegedly been linked to an illegal operation benefiting the tow truck industry. Toronto police said Monday that 11 people, including 47-year-old Const.…
Guns, drugs, cash seized in organized crime probe of Toronto area tow truck industry
May 26, 2020 Liam Casey -THE CANADIAN PRESSVAUGHAN, Ont. – Four alleged organized criminal organizations that operated as rival tow truck companies involved in a violent battle for territory in the Toronto area have been dismantled, police said Tuesday. York regional police said the alleged crimes involved…
Why this motorist is not entitled to compensation for towing damage claim
October 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA motorist seeking nearly $4,000 for a vehicle that was allegedly damaged while being towed cannot recover the money from either the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia or BCAA Insurance Corporation, the province’s civil resolution tribunal has ruled. In October,…
How Intact lost this battle over vehicle storage fees
May 16, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s largest P&C insurer has suffered a setback in its quest to minimize vehicle storage fees. A recent Ontario court ruling means that, for the time being, Intact Insurance has to pay J.P. Towing Service & Storage Limited storage fees…
How this ‘gap’ in privacy law affects tow-truck operators
December 13, 2018 by Greg MeckbachIf your client’s vehicle is towed in Manitoba, the auto insurer will not normally tell the towing company who owns the vehicle. “There is a gap in the [Manitoba privacy] legislation or, at a minimum, the administrative practices of the…
Company calls for tow truck operator training standards
November 14, 2018 by Greg MeckbachTow truck drivers should not be allowed to hook up and haul vehicles damaged in collisions without some sort of certification above and beyond a driver’s licence, says CAA South Central Ontario. “If you have a Class G driver’s licence,…
Tow referral fee rules ‘hard to monitor and enforce,’ insurer warns
August 23, 2018 by Greg MeckbachAuto insurance providers should remind motorists that in the event of an accident, it is usually the driver – not the tow truck operator – who decides where the car gets towed. Motorists often don’t know what rights they have…
Should body shops be allowed to pay referral fees to towing firms?
March 15, 2018 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorA recent Aviva Canada auto repair fraud investigation raises the question of whether body shops should be allowed pay referral fees to tow truck operators. CSN, which has more than 335 collision repair centres in Canada, does not give referral…