Tow truck company charged after driver hauls unsecured SUV with no straps, police say

A tow truck company and its driver have been charged after hauling an unsecured SUV in Caledon without even knowing how to strap the vehicle down.

The OPP said on Thursday that officers from the Caledon detachment had stopped a tow truck driver on Airport Road after noticing issues with the vehicle.

Police say the driver was hauling a vehicle “with no straps on dollies,” and a picture from the scene shared by officers showed a BMW X5 lifted onto a tow truck without tire straps.

What was even more startling for officers was that they discovered the tow truck driver “had no idea how to even strap the vehicle down.”

Police say both the driver and the company they work for were hit with charges and steep fines related to the traffic stop, but have not disclosed the name of the operator.

Tow truck drivers in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon have previously had run-ins with police, including one who was hauled away after allegedly driving nearly double the speed limit in Brampton.

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Ontario’s new Towing and Storage Safety Enforcement Act (TSSEA) came into effect this year with a new provincial program for the towing and vehicle storage industry, taking control of oversight and licensing from individual municipalities.

If you need a tow truck while driving on the 401 you can call 511 for a tow truck through the province’s Tow Zone pilot project, or dial *OPP for service elsewhere in Ontario.