For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms, phrases, words
and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein:
ABANDONED VEHICLE
Any motor vehicle or vessel partially dismantled or not readily
capable of operation under its own power or not currently licensed
or wrecked or junked. It shall also mean any vehicle whose owner has
terminated the use and care of the vehicle and has either indicated
by his words or actions an intent to leave it and no longer claim
ownership of it or left it without making arrangements for the storage
with the owner, occupant or person in control of the premises on which
it is located.
ABSORBENTS
Any group of products used to soak up spills or vehicle fluids.
These would include oil dry, absorbent pads, socks, booms, etc.
ADMINISTRATION CHARGES
Charges for services, including but not limited to physical
inspection, telephone and/or fax calls, electronic communication,
copying of documentation, removal of personal items and additional
office paperwork before and at the time of release.
AIR CUSHION RECOVERY
Use of any number of inflatable lifting apparatus (commonly
referred to as air cushions and/or air bags). Used to lift, under
controlled recovery movements, any objects (e.g., automobiles, trucks,
tractors, tractor- and semitrailer combinations) either on and/or
off the roadway, aircraft, underwater recovery and realignment of
shifted loads inside semitrailers.
CLASS I (light duty)
For the purposes of this chapter, any motor vehicle with
a GVW of 10,000 pounds or less.
CLASS IA
For the purposes of this chapter, any motor vehicle between
10,000 pounds and 26,000 pounds GVW.
CLASS II (heavy duty)
For the purposes of this chapter, any motor vehicle with
a GVW of 26,001 pounds or more.
COLLECTION EXPENSE
Cost of fees spent in an attempt to secure payment for services
rendered.
COLLISION WRAP
Used in an attempt to cover exposed areas from the weather
elements.
DEBRIS CLEANUP
(1)
STANDARD SITE CLEANUPRefers to the amount of debris removal that should reasonably be anticipated at the scene of motor vehicle crash or incident. The standard site cleanup is usually defined to the point of impact, the final resting point of the vehicle and the associated debris field.
(2)
EXTENDED SITE CLEANUPRefers to the removal of debris at the point of impact, as well as along the path of pre-impact and/or post-impact, where vehicle disintegration and/or other property damage occur as a result of the motor vehicle crash or incident.
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT (GVW)
The net weight of the vehicle, plus the weight of passengers,
fuel, cargo and any additional accessories.
HEAVY-DUTY TOW TRUCK
Commercial manufactured truck with wrecker body. Minimum
GVW 26,001 pounds used to tow and recover commercial-type vehicles
over 26,000 GVW, as well as passenger vehicles unable to be recovered
by other means.
HYDRAULIC FLATBED CAR CARRIER
Commercial motor vehicle designed exclusively to transport
motor vehicles that have become disabled, wrecked, recovered stolen
and police impound by means of bodily winching motor vehicles from
roadway level up onto a hydraulic bed for transporting purposes.
IMPOUNDMENT
The storage of a motor vehicle upon the order of a law enforcement
officer.
INCIDENT
Any recurring or nonrecurring event that created a diminished
capacity to roadway function or threatens the environment.
INSIDE SECURED STORAGE
When a motor vehicle is placed inside a secured facility
at the request of the vehicle/owner/operator or at the request of
a law enforcement agency for preservation purposes, e.g., an owner/operator
request antique or classic motor vehicle and/or an expensive luxury
motor vehicle and/or law enforcement request for preservation of further
law enforcement investigation.
LABOR
The additional work done at the scene by the tow truck operator
that is beyond that required to perform a basic tow, or any additional
manpower needed to complete a recovery, winching or towing of a vehicle.
Labor charge for additional manpower shall be based on a per-man,
per-hour rate with a one-hour minimum.
MEDIUM-DUTY TOW TRUCK
Used to tow and recover small commercial type vehicles up
to 26,000 pounds GVW or passenger vehicles unable to be recovered
with light-duty tow truck or flatbed.
MILEAGE CHARGES
Are calculated on a portal-to-portal basis, which consists
of the following examples: towing company dispatched from towing facility
to destination of tow, tows or transports motor vehicle from point
of pickup back to destination point at a towing company protected
storage facility, a motor vehicle is towed from a point of pickup
to another destination other than the towing company facility, e.g.,
vehicle owner residence, mechanical repair facility, auto body repair
facility or any other destination, mileage accrual at arrival back
to the point of dispatch (towing company facility).
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
Use of specialized equipment or tow truck to retrieve a vehicle
that has left the roadway.
OUTSIDE SECURED STORAGE
When a motor vehicle is placed in an outside, secured storage
facility that will be completely enclosed with at least a six-foot
fence and will have at least one entrance and exit gate. The facility
will be completely illuminated by outside lighting in order to safeguard
the motor vehicles.
POST-INCIDENT EXPENSES
A host of services provided to the customer's vehicle after
the vehicle has been removed from the scene.
RECOVERY
When the tow operator applies his knowledge in a skillful
manner to preserve the condition of the motor vehicle while winching
and/or lifting the damaged vehicle back to a normal towing or loading
position.
RECOVERY SUPERVISOR/COORDINATOR
A trained individual who utilizes his expertise to facilitate
a safe and effective response to an incident through direct instruction
to other employees dealing with the other responders or physically
creating the conditions needed to terminate an incident.
ROAD SERVICE
Use of a tow truck or service vehicle to attempt to repair
a vehicle at the point of the breakdown.
SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT
Use of a wide variety of primarily, but not limited to, construction-type
equipment not normally considered towing equipment used to access
or cleanup a recovery scene of wreckage.
STORAGE
"Storage charges for a twenty-four-hour period" means the
maximum allowable amount to be charged by a storage facility for a
twenty-four-hour period or fraction thereof. A new twenty-four-hour
period begins at 12:01 a.m. Storage is charged on a per-calendar-day
or any part thereof.
SUBCONTRACTOR
Use of other commercial businesses to provide services needed
that the tower does not possess. The tower invoices a handling charge
on top of subcontractor's invoice charge.
TARPING
Covering or re-covering a vehicle to prevent against further
weather damage or unauthorized access.
TOWING
When a tow truck and/or hydraulic flatbed carrier takes in
its possession the care, control and custody of a motor vehicle by
means of standard industry procedures.
TOW TRUCK
Commercial motor vehicle designed exclusively to lift motor
vehicles that have become disabled, wrecked, recovered stolen and
police impounded by means of lifting from the front or rear by the
following methods:
(1)
Sling type: mechanical or hydraulic.
(2)
Wheel lift type: mechanical or hydraulic.
TRAILERING
The use of Landoll type of recovery unit to transport anything
that is too large to be flatbedded or would be damaged if towed in
another manner.
VEHICLE
Every device in, upon or by which a person or property is
or may be transported upon a highway, excepting devices moved exclusively
by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
VEHICLE ACCESS CHARGE
Owner and/or insurance representative must be accompanied
into the secured storage yard facility to inspect, remove personal
belongings, adjust and take photographs. Documentation such as the
driver's license of the vehicle owner or the business card of the
insurance representative must be photocopied and time stamped when
this additional auxiliary service is performed.
VEHICLE REMOVAL CHARGE (LOT REMOVAL)
Charge for a motor vehicle towed into the storage facility
of the primary tower that is not movable and must be towed out of
the primary tower's storage facility to a designated unsecured staging
area for towing by the secondary tower.
WAITING TIME
Additional time a tow operator spends at the scene other
than the time required for the actual tow and/or recovery.
WATER RECOVERY
The process of recovering a vehicle or any other object as
requested that is in water or under water.
WILLFUL ABANDONMENT
An action deliberately taken by an owner or insurance company
to leave a vehicle or vessel at a storage yard in order to attempt
to avoid paying the towing, recovery, storage, etc., charges due against
the vehicle. See N.J.S.A. 39:4-56.5 and 39:4-56.6.
WINCHING
The process of moving a motor vehicle by the use of additional
chains, nylon slings and additional lengths of winch cable from a
position that is not accessible for direct hookup by conventional
means for towing and/or loading onto a tow vehicle. Winching is not
pulling a vehicle onto a flatbed carrier or lifting a motor vehicle
by conventional means (tow sling, wheel left, etc.).
WRECKER or TOWER or TOW AGENCY
A person or business entity engaged in the business, or offering
the services of, a vehicle wrecker, flatbed or towing service, whereby
disabled motor vehicles are towed or otherwise removed from the places
where they are disabled, impounded or abandoned by use of a wrecker
or truck so designed for that purpose.
WRECKING
The process of removing wreckage from the roadway, e.g.,
the vehicle and its debris that includes the removal of pieces of
vehicles from a crash scene with the end result being to return the
roadway back to pre-crash conditions.