Towing Issues: 2ND TOWS, salvage companies, flexing muscles

Question
DEAR RICHARD,
I am getting more and more educated to find out a wrecker company seems is always getting cheated.I am learnig from reading here and other places about consenual tows, and non-consenual.My question can a police dept.dictate what you can charge on a 2nd tow,what is consenual,right.We have been 1st time offense,suspended for 90 days! for charging $65 and 2.50 per mile ON the first tow we charge the city rates of $60,$10 per day storage.THe 2nd tow we charged $65.00,$2.50 per miles, and $15.00 special euipment the insurance co. tore off to check for damage, we had to stap it down as to not fly off.THe owner did not want her interior dirty.IF I understand the the consenual,
non-consenual statement, the police cannot dictate what we charge for a 2nd tow.If that's the case I know this insurance company's are not paying the auction salvage companies vice versa, the tow companys are not coming 60 to 100 miles to us for $60.00!
PLease if you can give me anymore leads OR where to read up on this consenual / non-consenual law we would really appreciate it.
THanks!
P.S.I love reading your column,it has been very helpful.

Answer
I am glad you are going though the research into the differences between consensual and non consensual tows..

Now as to the 2nd tow issue, as I am not a lawyer BUT after the original ordered tow by the police department your contract ends after the vehicle enters the yard.. Sure the storage charges are set by contract, but afterwards the contract on the retow (2nd tow) is with the insurance company, body shop or vehicle owner who requests the tow...

Now the charges you mentioned for the tow in question sounds good to me for the retow...
And you are correct in saying that the salvage companies are not paying that amount for tows from your place... Of course they are also not under contract for tows by the local police..

I think that the police are just flexing muscles about issues. I know that Georgia and Connecticut have some online information on the differences between the two types of tows...

Also worth checking out are 2 other towing forums which deal with various issues which I would recommend checking out...

www.towtalk.com

and

www.tow411.net



Plus the normal towing magazines,  Tow Times, American Towman, and Towing and Recovery "Footnotes"

(for what its worth, I also write from time to time for Footnotes)