Police Looking for Interested Towing Companies

The township invites area towing companies to submit applications for a license to provide service in Wyckoff.

Applications and information can be picked up at the Wyckoff Police Department and must be returned by midnight Oct. 31 for consideration for 2011.

Interested towing firms must be located within 3.5 miles of the township, per an amended ordinance adopted earlier this year.

The ordinance, which sets qualifications for towers in addition to a fee schedule, was an effort to bolster standards, which previously had been accomplished by resolution. Police Chief Benjamin Fox has the authority to enforce the licenses, which cost $100.

Licenses were approved in December 2009 for two towing companies, City Wide Towing of Hawthorne and NAR Towing of Ramsey, although NAR Towing was removed as a licensed tower in May.

Fox had said the firm did not have a certificate of occupancy for the physical address listed on its application and was located beyond the bounds of the 3-mile limit originally established before the towing ordinance was amended. The regulation ensures a quick response when someone needs roadside assistance, Fox said.

NAR Towing was barred from operating in Wyckoff until the end of 2010 but can re-apply for 2011 consideration.

The township's towing standards include regulations on equipment and insurance necessary to obtain a license; safety equipment on towers' trucks; communication equipment; storage shed requirements; operating hours; towing personnel certification; and more.

Licensed towers also must adhere to the following fees:

• Towers can charge a maximum of $85 ($95 if a flat bed is needed) when hauling damaged or impounded vehicles weighing less than 1 ton from Wyckoff, including off-road recovery.
• Towers can charge a maximum of $150 for a truck in excess of 1 ton that is up to 16 feet in length. Trucks that are up to 20 feet in length can be assessed up to $200 for a tow.
• Tows defined as "extraordinary recoveries" on vehicles weighing less than 1 ton can assess a maximum $150 per hour charge with a one-hour minimum. Vehicles found on their side will cost $120 to tow; overturned vehicles will cost the owner $140.
• Extraordinary recoveries on vehicles in excess of 1 ton can cost up to $225 per hour with a one-hour minimum, although towers can apply to the police chief to increase the charge for particularly time-consuming jobs.
• Motorcycles can be charged up to $60 for a tow.
• There is no mileage fee for tows from Wyckoff to the towers' facilities. However, a $3 per mile fee will be assessed for light duty tows from within Wyckoff to a Wyckoff location, and $5 for heavy duty tows. For tows to locations outside of Wyckoff and not at the towers' facilities, $4 per mile is allowed.
• Towers can charge up to $55 for cars, vans and SUVs that need emergency road service (flat tire, jump start, locked vehicles, etc.) and $75 for heavy duty vehicles. However, if a tow is then needed, there will be no charge for road service.