Additional tow services

Definition of claim required additional services performed by tow companies.

Scene clean-up

Scene clean-up is paid at the appropriate category hourly rate for the towed vehicle, if required.

Base Priority and Towing and Recovery Plus Priority Tow rates include minor scene clean-up, for up to 5 minutes, to remove damaged vehicle part(s).

Additional clean-up time, including any fluid spills, is charged in half hour increments. A written explanation and/or photos are required for invoice reconciliation.

Vehicle parts

Detached vehicle parts should be gathered on scene, and delivered with the vehicle, based on the following categories:

useable parts, such as an undamaged grill emblem attached to a broken grill assembly, and
all parts from vehicles invloved in a hit and run.

Note: Vehicle parts should be stored within the vehicle only if they are small enough not to damage the interior. Vehicle parts that do not easily fit within the vehicle should be safely secured to, and transported with the tow vehicle.

Fluid spills

Use and disposal of absorbent material (Absorb-All) for fluid spills can be invoiced as a consumable. All absorbent material must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

Personnel requirements

The appropriate hourly rate for an extra person applies in half hour increments, with a half hour minimum. It begins when they leave either their residence, or the tow office nearest the recovery scene. It includes time on site until assistance is complete, and ends upon return to their residence or office.

Note: Transportation to and from the scene is included in the hourly rate.

Extra person

The extra person is an individual hired by the tow company to assist at a tow or recovery site. The most common reasons for dispatch of an extra person are:

visual spotter for accident vehicle beyond operator tow line of sight
loading or unloading heavy or severely damaged motorcycles, and
assistance in remote areas, for the safety of the operator, where phone/communication signals are sparse.

Flag person

An employee certified to assist the tow company with traffic control at an accident scene.

Vehicle recovery, load, and secure

Standby

A tow vehicle may be required to standby when:

emergency personnel instructs the tow company to standby at the accident scene until the scene is safe to allow towing or recovery to commence, or
ICBC requests a standby at a claims office until an on-the-hook estimate can be completed.

Note: Standby charges for investigative purposes are not covered by ICBC.

Vehicle recovery

The recovery of a vehicle from an area or condition that requires moving it into a position, before it is loaded and secured on a tow truck.

Certain instances require a tow truck with a higher capacity than the GVWR category hourly rate of the towed vehicle.

Vehicle removal can occur:

from a ditch
from a lawn
from an upset position, or
on or against an obstruction.

Vehicle recovery with a service truck

A vehicle recovery using a service truck for vehicles in restricted height/weight areas, commonly underground parking lots, and weight restricted structures.

When the tow company is aware that a tow vehicle is not able to recover/load a vehicle from the dispatch information, the service truck and tow truck should be dispatched simultaneously to minimize standby costs.

Vehicle loading and securing

The loading and/or securing of a vehicle to a tow truck. Common tools used in the load and secure of a vehicle are:

J hooks
wheel lift straps
safety chains
string lights
dollies
steering wheel tie ropes
cargo straps, and
tarps.

Loading and securing charges apply if loading and securing the vehicle for transport takes more than 10 minutes due to the extent of damage, such as:

vehicle broken into pieces
major add on attachements are separated from vehicle, or
burnt vehicle that requires tarping to prevent spreading of debris.

Note: When required, tow truck operators must secure the vehicle steering wheel with a clean, non-abrasive rope. Never with a seatbelt.