No person who wishes to engage in municipal police towing shall
engage in the business of operating wreckers or tow trucks for the
aforementioned purpose within the Borough without first obtaining
a license therefor.
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-11; 8-16-2011 by Ord. No.
2011-12; 12-7-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-26; 12-4-2019 by Ord. No.
2019-16]
A. Roadside service.
(1) Passenger cars, tire change, jump start: $125 per hour plus parts.
(2) Trucks (medium/heavy): $175 per hour plus parts.
B. Towing.
(1) Motorcycles or motor scooters: $150.
(2) Light duty (up to 10,000 pounds), hook up: $150.
(3) Medium duty (10,001 pounds to 16,000 pounds): $250 per hour.
(4) Heavy duty (16,001 pounds and above): $500 per hour.
(5) Decoupling fee (if tow is not performed): 1/2 of basic charge.
C. Recovery/winching (in addition to towing, per truck, including driver).
(1) Light/medium duty (10,001 pounds to 16,000 pounds): $175 per 1/2
hour.
(2) Heavy duty (16,001 pounds and above): $600 per hour.
(3) Rotator/crane recovery unit: $1,200 per hour.
(4) Tractor with Landoll trailer or detach trailer: $450 per hour.
(5) Tractor/transport hauler only: $250 per hour.
(6) Refrigerated trailer with tractor: $450 per hour.
(7) Box trailer with tractor: $400 per hour.
(8) Air cushion unit: $1,000 per hour.
(9) Light tower: $250 per hour.
(12)
Any other specialized equipment: $250 per hour.
(13)
Loader/backhoe/telescopic handler/ bulldozer/bobcat: $300 per
hour, each.
(15)
Dump truck/dump trailer with tractor: $350 per hour.
(16)
Roll-off with container: $350 per hour plus disposal.
(17)
Recovery supervisor vehicle: $150 per hour.
(18)
Scene safety equipment, communications, traffic management,
etc.: $250 per hour, each.
(19)
Recovery support vehicle/trailer, additional recovery equipment:
$350 per hour.
D. Storage
of vehicles per calendar day (inside rates two times outside rate).
(1) Cars/light
trucks, ten-foot-by-twenty-foot space: $45 per day.
(2) Trucks
(dual wheels)/single axle: $90 per day.
(3) Tractor/dump
truck/tractor and trailer combo/trailers: $125 per unit, per day.
(5) Roll-off:
$125 per day, each.
(6) Cargo/accident
debris/load storage/vehicle components: $45 per space used, per day.
(7) Rental
of any tow-company-supplied trailer post-accident: $500 per day.
E. Mileage
fees.
(1) There
shall be no mileage fees for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles charged
to an owner or driver for any mileage within the borders of the Borough
of Wood-Ridge or for any mileage within the borders of the Borough
to the tow operator's facility. Mileage fees are permitted for light-duty
vehicles at the rate of $6 per loaded mile within the Borough or to
the tow operator's facility. Alternate-destination tows will be negotiated
between the towing company and the owner or driver.
(2) Fees
for towing vehicles into or out of the Borough of Wood-Ridge must
be agreed upon by the owner of any such vehicle, in writing, prior
to the vehicle being towed. The owner or operator of a vehicle shall
have the right to select a tower of his or her choice, including towers
with a place of business outside of the Borough, provided that such
disabled vehicle is not then interfering with the vehicular or pedestrian
flow of traffic and that the location of such vehicle does not present
a danger to vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
F. Additional services.
(1) Accident
minor clean-up and disposal of debris: $75 per hour (one-hour minimum),
plus absorbent material used.
(2) Recovery
supervisor and/or Level III specialist: $225 per hour.
(3) Certified
towing operator: $125 per hour, per man.
(4) Manual
laborers: $100 per hour, per man.
(5) Fuel/HazMat/spills
clean-up and disposal: time and material.
(6) HazMat
and trash recovery: surcharged 10%.
(7) Subcontractor
mark-up: 10%.
(8) Administrative
charge (only after third visit to vehicle): cars only, $50.
(9) Administrative
charge (medium/heavy trucks): $200.
(10) After-hours
release: $75.
(11) Notification
documentation fee: $50.
(12) Tarping/wrapping
vehicles: $90 car; $250 truck.
(14) For
anything not covered in this rate list, the usual and customary fee
should apply.
G. Fee cards. Fee cards conspicuously indicating the maximum rates for
towing and storage of a vehicle within the Borough shall be kept in
the possession of the drivers of all wreckers and presented to the
driver or owner of any vehicle to be towed.
H. The owner and/or occupier of any towed vehicle shall be presented
with an itemized bill detailing all of the charges which the tower
has billed on or before payment has been made by such vehicle owner.
A licensee must comply with the following requirements:
A. Any person, company or corporation requesting this license must have
had a towing business for a minimum of three years and must be of
known good reputation in the field of wrecking, towing, etc.
B. The licensee shall be available to provide service 24 hours per day,
seven days per week.
C. The wrecker/tow truck shall have a passenger seat to transport the
driver of the vehicle to be towed, under appropriate circumstances,
at no additional cost to the owner of the vehicle.
D. Wreckers/tow trucks shall have paging capabilities with their dispatching
center on a twenty-four-hour basis.
E. Calls must be answered within 15 minutes of the Wood-Ridge Police
Department's notice to a licensee to respond to a call, unless a mutually
agreed time is approved.
F. The licensee shall provide each wrecker/tow truck with a shovel,
broom and other equipment necessary to clean up broken glass and debris
from the scene of an accident to which it is summoned. The driver
of such wrecker/tow truck shall be responsible for such cleanup.
G. All wreckers/tow trucks used and employed in towing of vehicles shall
be kept in a clean, good working condition and the name, address and
telephone number of the licensee shall be conspicuously displayed
on each vehicle.
H. All licensees shall be required to comply with all state and local
laws and be licensed as required.
I. The licensee shall, when performing under this license, follow the
lawful directions of the officers of the Wood-Ridge Police Department
and agents or representatives of the Borough of Wood-Ridge.
J. A person retrieving his vehicle shall be able to transact all business,
including the pickup of the vehicle and payment of fees, at the same
location.
K. There shall be no piling of vehicles.
L. Vehicles shall be towed and stored in a safe manner so as to prevent
any damage to such vehicles.
M. The licensee shall be responsible for the towing of any disabled
Borough-owned vehicle when requested by the Borough. This service
will be furnished to the Borough for the minimum applicable show-up
charge.
N. The licensee shall provide a clean waiting room for the public with
a restroom and access to a public telephone.
O. The licensee shall possess a State of New Jersey Business Registration
Certificate.
[Added 3-26-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-5]
P. The licensee shall possess a State of New Jersey Department of Transportation
Hazardous Materials Certificate of Registration.
[Added 3-26-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-5]
No license shall be granted to an applicant unless and until
he has appointed the Borough Clerk as his true and lawful attorney
for the purpose of acknowledging service out of any court of competent
jurisdiction served against the applicant.
Any person and/or licensee who shall violate the provisions
of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable as provided
below:
A. Shall be prohibited from receiving a license for a period of three
years from the date of said conviction. Upon the second or subsequent
conviction and in the discretion of the Municipal Judge, said person
shall be prohibited from receiving a license for a period of 10 years
from the date of the second or subsequent conviction; and
B. Be subject to imposition of the general penalty set forth in the
Code of the Borough of Wood-Ridge.
[Amended 12-6-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-12]
This chapter shall not prevent the occasional operation at the
scene of an accident of a wrecker or tow truck which is owned by a
person not regularly engaged in the business of operating wreckers
or tow trucks within the Borough of Wood-Ridge. When a vehicle has
been involved in an accident or is disabled, the vehicle operator
shall be advised of his or her right to select an emergency wrecker
service of his or her choice so long as that emergency wrecker service
can respond to the scene and perform the necessary services within
a reasonable time frame to be determined by the police officer at
the scene. The police officer at the scene will make the final determination
based upon the circumstances of the accident.
This chapter and the fee schedules contained herein shall be
available to the public during normal business hours of the Borough.