The business licence of another London tow truck operator has been suspended.
The City of London has sent White Oaks Towing Corp. a notice of a licence suspension restricting the business from operating at crash scenes for 28 days. The suspension begins at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.
The decision to temporarily pull the licence was made after a driver for the company was charged with excessive speed and stunt driving earlier this month. That charge resulted in the vehicle's licence plates being seized, the vehicle being impounded for 14 days, and the driver’s licence being suspended for 30 days.
“Driving at excessive speeds poses dangers to public safety and the City of London has zero tolerance for operators driving aggressively to be the first tow truck to arrive at the scene of an accident,” Orest Katolyk, the city's director of municipal compliance and chief municipal law enforcement officer, said in a statement. “We will continue to work side-by-side with London Police Service and, when warranted, suspend the licence of companies engaged in this dangerous and reckless behaviour to send a clear message that it will not be tolerated.”
This is the fourth tow company to have its business licence temporarily pulled by the city this year.
Earlier this month, Forest City Roadside Services and 519Tow were suspended after drivers were charged with travelling at excessive speeds in the city. The operator of a Forest City Roadside Services truck was stopped for allegedly going 94 km/h in the posted 50 km/h zone in the area of Dundas Street and Clarke Road on June 19. A 519Tow driver was caught allegedly doing 111 km/h in a 60 km/h zone in the area of Sarnia Road and Wonderland Road on March 19.
In June, L.O. Towing and Recovery Inc. had its business licence suspended for 28 days after one of its drivers was charged with operating a vehicle at excessive speeds and stunt driving.
Drivers in London are being reminded by the city that companies towing from the scene of a collision are required to be licenced and that drivers involved in crashes do not have to use the first tow truck that arrives. A full list of licensed tow operators can be found on the city's website at London.ca/Tow.