The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall
have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
AUTOMOBILE
A private passenger automobile, station wagon or pickup truck.
BASIC TOWING SERVICE
The removal and transportation of an automobile from a highway,
street or other public or private road, or a parking area, or from
a storage facility, and other services normally incident thereto,
but does not include recovery of an automobile from a position beyond
the right-of-way or berm, or from being impaled upon any other object
within the right-of-way or berm.
TOW VEHICLE
A vehicle equipped with a boom or booms, winches, slings,
tilt beds, wheel lifts or underreach equipment specifically designed
by its manufacturer for the removal and transport of private passenger
automobiles.
TRUCK
Any motor vehicle other than an automobile as defined above
and which requires heavy-duty towing.
Whenever a police officer orders the removal of automobiles from private or public property, the officer shall utilize the rotation lists established in §
97-3 of this chapter.
All towing service operators on the list shall comply with the
following:
A. Road
service must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Towing
services must respond to all service requests made. Service requests
missed by the operator shall be reviewed by the Director of Public
Safety and may be construed as a violation of this chapter.
B. Towing
services must respond within 15 minutes of receipt of the original
phone call request by the Police Department.
C. Vehicle
release must be available from the hours of 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday. During all other hours and legal holidays,
vehicles may be released at the discretion of the tow contractor.
Refer to miscellaneous service fees.
All towing operators shall meet the following equipment requirements:
A. For classification as an automobile towing service, the operator must possess an adequate number of flat-bed-style tow trucks and hoist-type tow trucks to meet the requirements outlined in §
97-4.
B. For classification as a truck towing service, the contractor must, in addition to the equipment requirement set forth in Subsection
A, have an adequate number of vehicles capable of towing a fully loaded tractor trailer weighing 80,000 pounds to meet the requirements outlined in §
97-4.
C. All
tow vehicles must carry the following equipment:
(9) Speedy Dry or similar liquid absorbent.
D. All
towing vehicles must have amber emergency warning lights mounted on
the vehicle so as to warn approaching traffic of their presence. The
size and location of these lights must conform to New Jersey Division
of Motor Vehicle standards. The operator must have an amber light
permit.
E. All towing vehicles must carry a copy of the rate schedule set forth in §
97-8. Said schedule must also be displayed in a conspicuous manner at the operator's place of business.
All equipment must be maintained in good working order and be
available for periodic inspection by a member of the Plainsboro Township
Police Department. These inspections will be conducted, at a minimum,
on a yearly basis.
[Amended 3-14-2012 by Ord. No. 0-12-01]
A. Fees
for towing and storage of private passenger vehicles, damaged in an
accident, recovered after being stolen or impounded by police are
set in accordance with the Vehicle Towing and Storage Act, N.J.S.A.
40:48-2.49.
(1) The following is the fee schedule for towing and roadside services:
(a) Any time of day or day of week: $115 per hour per vehicle.
(b)
A cleanup fee of $45 per vehicle will apply for cleanup at the
collision scene.
(c)
A fee for absorbent material for fluids on the roadways: $20
per bag.
(d)
Roadside assists such as changing flat tires, jump starting
a dead battery, lockouts, etc., will be charged a fee not to exceed
$50.
(e)
Gas services shall not be included in this service. Pending
roadway condition and safety concerns, a tow company has no obligation
to perform such a service, but rather tow the vehicle to a safe location
at the above-scheduled towing fee.
(2) The following is the fee schedule for storage services. These fees
shall commence on the date the vehicle is stored at the impound/tow
yard.
(a) Fee for storage: $30 per day.
(b) Miscellaneous services.
[1]
Release of vehicle other than normal hours: a flat rate of $30.
[2]
Yard service fee (a one-time fee to cover the cost of handling
the vehicle while in the tow yard): $25.
[3]
Administration fee (a one-time fee for time spent with customers,
insurance companies, police, making copies of files, faxing or sending
emails by staff): $25.
[4]
A flat fee of $100 for the recovery of vehicles off the roadway,
or not on all wheels as normal driving/resting position, requiring
the use of a winch.
[5]
Vehicle preparation before a vehicle can be towed, such as when
vehicles are locked, stuck in gear, or have large parts such as doors,
bumpers, exhaust systems or moldings hanging from them, where the
labor extends past one-quarter hour, shall entitle the tow operator
to charge a fee of $50 per quarter hour.
(3) An unusual or unforeseen circumstance which requires a special charge
or additional billing outside the scope of the schedule must be documented
by the towing service and provided to the Director of Public Safety
within 48 hours of the event.
B. Fees for towing and storage of private passenger vehicles, other than those damaged in an accident or recovered after being stolen, shall be the same as those set forth in Subsection
A if the official tower is called to the scene by the Police Department of the Township of Plainsboro in accordance with this chapter. Any other towing services to private passenger vehicles not involved in accidents or recovered after being stolen when requested privately by individuals shall be at the rates as agreed to between the individual and the tower.
C. The
following is the fee schedule for heavy-duty towing services:
(1) Conventional tow (or recovery), 9,500 pounds to 18,000 pounds. Flat
rate to towing service base or destination within Plainsboro Township
and/or required recovery time: $175 per hour per truck (two-hour minimum).
(2) Conventional tow (or recovery), 18,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds. Flat
rate to towing service base or destination within Plainsboro Township
and/or required recovery time: $350 per hour per truck (two-hour minimum).
(3) Specialized equipment. Forty-eight-foot hydraulic tilt trailer service,
heavy-duty underreach, box trailer or flatbed trailer or flatbed trailer
with driver: $225 per hour portal to portal (two-hour minimum).
(4) Winching and recovery rates: $450 per hour portal to portal (two-hour
minimum).
(5) Extra services included in the two-hour minimum for the tow:
(6) Extra personnel to assist with removing the recovered vehicles and
freight: $80 per hour per person.
(7) Storage rates (each 24 hours or fraction thereof):
No impounded vehicle is to be released without proper authorization from the Police Department. Vehicle release must be available as set forth in §
97-4C of this chapter. The operator may dispose of abandoned vehicles in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:10A-8 et seq.
Titles shall be processed in accordance with New Jersey laws
and regulations. No fee will be paid to the Township by the towing
service for processing of a junk or clear title.
The Police Department is designated to enforce the provisions
of this chapter in accordance with due process law. In carrying out
the provisions of this chapter, the Director of Public Safety is hereby
authorized to adopt additional reasonable regulations which are not
inconsistent with this chapter.
This chapter, all regulations adopted by the Director of Public
Safety and the fee schedules of individual towers shall be available
to the public during normal business hours.