Posted on 11/17/2023 3:49:15 PM PST by george76
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A truck driver who came to Memphis to recover a tractor-trailer stolen from the Chicago area stayed inside the big rig for nearly 34 hours to prevent A1’s Towing and Hauling from taking it.
The owner of MHT Group Inc. said his driver gassed up at the Shelby Express on East Shelby Drive, pulled into a spot, and was in the process of paying for parking through his dispatch when A1’s booted and blocked in the vehicle.
“We got a receipt. We called the gas station. We showed the receipt. We called the towing company, and they said ‘Oh, we booted you ten minutes before you had this receipt,'” said the owner of MHT who did not want to be identified.
He said his company offered to pay A1’s $7,500 to drop the truck, but they were told it wasn’t even close to what it would cost to get the truck back. He said police were called to the lot at least six times but told them they couldn’t interfere because the tow company had sued them.
They were honking their horns and using the boom of the tow truck to shake the truck, so we called out the police. The driver wanted to file a harassment charge against them, and the police said that wasn’t enough to file a harassment charge,” the MHT owner said. “Our legal team told us because we were recovering a stolen vehicle, they cannot hold it.”
An attorney for A1’s claims the driver never paid for parking and said that is why the vehicle was being towed away.
“I am not there, but the truck driver assaulted one of my client’s employees, told the police department he was ‘not going to pay anything,’ and then stated that, ‘My company told me to just sit in my truck and see what happens.’ This was all captured on video,” said A1’s attorney Darrell O’neal.
MHT Group Inc. said it was able to get its truck back after Tennessee troopers showed up.
“We told them it’s a stolen unit, and they said that’s enough,” said the MHT owner.
They said the troopers told A1’s to unhook the 18-wheeler and remove the boot.
“Their lawyer showed up and started talking about laws, but state police shut him down and told him this is how the law works,” said the MHT owner. “Then they started telling us they lost the key to the boot and can’t do anything tonight, so state police gave my guys the authority to cut the boot off.”
This all happened at the same truck stop where a Church Transportation driver locked herself inside a big rig for several hours three weeks ago to avoid being towed.
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Shirley Holland admitted she didn’t pay the $13 fee to park but said when she tried to pay a $275 booting fee, she was told it was too late and they were towing the truck. Her employer was forced to pay $12,950 to get the vehicle back.
Over the last year, the City of Memphis Permits Office has received more than a dozen complaints from truckers from all over the country who said they were illegally booted and towed by A1’s, and last month, the city released this statement:
Per the ordinance, if the owner or operator of a motor vehicle that is parked without authorization on private property attempts to retrieve said vehicle before booting actually occurs, there shall be no fee, and the vehicle owner shall be allowed to remove the vehicle without further delay. The booting ordinance does not specify what type of vehicle can be booted.
The maximum amount a booting company can charge to remove a boot is $50.00 per the city ordinance. The ordinance states that no vehicle affixed with a boot may be towed unless the owner of the vehicle fails to contact the booting company within 24 hours of the notice. Towing fees are based on the type of wrecker being used. A Class C wrecker rate is $350.00 per hour. The ordinances state vehicles.
The tow fee is based on the type of tow truck being used. The rate for a Class A wrecker is $125.00, Class B wrecker is $200.00 per hour, and Class C wrecker is $350.00 per hour.
We have two complaints that are before the Transportation Commission regarding a refund for a tow. We have several complaints that are going to be discussed at an administrative hearing.
Memphis City Councilman Frank Colvett also told WREG he wanted city leaders to take a closer look at the large fees A1’s Towing & Hauling was charging truck drivers that were being towed from area truck stops.
A1’s said it’s following state laws that supersede city law and has filed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis, the Memphis Police Chief, and multiple MPD officers, accusing them of “weaponizing a civil municipal ordinance to discriminate against the minority-owned company.”
The lawsuit cites several instances where they say police officers conspired with truck drivers to manufacture charges against the A1’s employees to accomplish the City Of Memphis’ discriminatory goals.
In October, a Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security spokesperson said the Tennessee Highway Patrol was assisting the Memphis Police Department with an investigation of A1’s Towing and Hauling.
TN DHS said THP’s Criminal Investigations Division is providing assistance upon request as Memphis Police look into A1’s activities but wouldn’t go into specifics.
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The owner of MHT Group Inc. said even though he got his truck back, he plans to take legal action against A1’s and is talking to other trucking companies considering the same thing.
“We are not letting this go. There is a big American company I know very well, and their lawyers and my lawyers are going to work together to get something done,” the MHT owner said. “I’m not going to let it happen again.”
On November 21, a Memphis City Council committee is expected to discuss alleged abuses of the City’s Booting and Towing Ordinances by certain local companies.
“Memphis”
I think I see the problem here.
Which city counceil member, or mayor, has family in A1 towing?
This is at about 7,332 on the list of problems in Memphis and within what city government operating like a third world tribal cabal. The county treasurer hasn’t paid office rents at their customer service locations, so they are being evicted. Meanwhile, Caribbean cruises, relatives on payrolls and contracts, catered meals, hotels, wardrobe, nails, hair weaves, and Mercedes Leases.
I don’t know how bad tow companies are today but historically they are some of the sleaziest entities that most people will ever run into.
Scam and collusion with the local law enforcement. I have seen this type of thing before. It’s the good old boy turn their heads and not see anything scam. I once helped the feds bust a California scale and safety inspection station for illegal activity similar collusion.
They had a scam where the state DOT inspectors were backing off the brake adjustment so it could be red tagged. They had a service right on the next exit that always got called out on a service call to adjust the brakes by someone certified before they would release the vehicle.
So the feds stopped in my truck repair business and had me adjust the brakes on a tractor and trailer. They had their own DOT certified technician watch me every step to make sure I did it by the book. Now they had a receipt from an independent civilian certified shop that was only 20 miles from the scales.
Read it in the newspaper a few days later that the state DOT inspectors at the scales did indeed back off the brakes on that truck and that the feds busted them in an undercover sting operation.
“Which city counceil member, or mayor, has family in A1 towing?”
Bingo, I have witnessed these scams many times.
I’ve seen this scam in small towns. Sheriff probably owns a car lot or something
During the blizzard of ‘78, friends of mine were stuck at the company data center and had to call the cops on tow truck drivers that were caught pulling cars out of the private parking lot.
They were getting paid for every car they “pulled off the street”.
Sleaze is nothing new for that business.
Way down in the article... no mention of the specific "minority" though... Wakandians? Minorities do not have to observe municipal ordinances?
A predatory scam. A1 in this case should be put out of business, multiple people should be put in jail. However, I doubt it will happen.
For the Chicago version, check out the song “Lincoln Park Pirates”
Yep, I have been in the big rig repair and towing business all my life. There is so much collusion with law enforcement in this industry you just would not believe it.
Dirty rotten petty stuff too. Like purposely impounding vehicles for the simple reason that the officer hopes to end up with that vehicle cheap after the impound tow company lien sale is cleared.
I never did fit in well with the “program” because I ran an honest service and wouldn’t play the game.
But there are a lot more tricks they played to collude with other tow services and screw me out of tows.
People who have lived in areas where parking is at a premium like beach communities or where special events take place know all about the car stealing scam where they just tow cars away that are parked legally.
They hunt for cars and like you described will come into parking lots and take them.
truck stops are now charging trucks to park? i don’t understand this story
With this kind of stuff going on, is it even safe to live in Tennessee anymore?
“I once helped the feds bust a California scale and safety inspection station for illegal activity similar collusion.”
Was that the weight station at Banning?
That one had a lousy reputation for years. Fortunately for me I didn’t run California much and Banning was “corrected” before I ever made the trip there.
“truck stops are now charging trucks to park?”
Yes...
“Was that the weight station at Banning?
That one had a lousy reputation for years. Fortunately for me I didn’t run California much and Banning was “corrected” before I ever made the trip there.”
Yep, it sure was, the Banning scales. Back in the 80s. I had no clue what they were up to when they came in for the adjustment at my shop because they didn’t show any ID. But I found it very suspicious how they had a tech crawl under there with me to adjust the brakes.
And there was about five vehicles with cop types following the vehicle. It was very apparent it was an operation of some sort. Then I read about it in the paper and it was that same afternoon they raided the scale house and busted them.
I put two and two together and figured out they needed a 3rd party civilian receipt that the brakes had just been adjusted up by someone certified for evidence to seal the deal without question.
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