Overview

As part of the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, a certificate is required to provide towing or vehicle storage services in Ontario.

Certificate holders must:

  • follow a code of conduct
  • meet Ontario’s safety and customer protection requirements
  • submit your maximum rates to the Ministry of Transportation and post them publicly

If you fail to meet these requirements your certificate can be suspended or cancelled.

Tow truck operators and drivers are also required to follow all of Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety requirements with the exception of hours of service requirements.

Code of conduct

All tow operators, tow truck drivers and vehicle storage operators must:

  1. act with professionalism, integrity, courtesy, good faith and fairness toward the public and each other
  2. meet the standards of learning, competence and conduct that are appropriate for the services they provide and only undertake work that they are competent to perform by virtue of their knowledge and experience
  3. regard their duty to public safety as paramount
  4. comply with all applicable laws where they provide their services
  5. honestly and accurately represent and advertise their services
  6. follow this code and advise Ontario’s Director of Towing and Vehicle Storage Standards of any act or omission of anyone that they believe to be contrary to this code

Requirements for tow truck drivers

In addition to following the code of conduct, tow truck drivers must:

  • carry both the tow operator’s certificate and your tow driver’s certificate when operating the tow truck
  • maintain and monitor your email address
  • show your TSSEA certificate to customers upon request
  • allow customers to retrieve personal property from towed vehicles with no charge
  • give customers a list of their rights before requesting their consent
  • give customers the tow operator’s maximum rates when requesting consent to tow
  • properly document the consent to tow, unless towing is directed by a police officer). If consent is not given, there can be no charges for the towing services.
  • take photographs of the vehicle when providing recovery services
  • tow the vehicle using the most direct route to the location specified by the person giving direction to tow
  • tell the customer about any interest you may have in a person, business or facility you referred them to
  • maintain a run sheet and provide any records relating to towing services provided, including run sheets, consent documents and photographs to the tow operator within 24 hours
  • if towing a vehicle to a vehicle storage facility, give the operator of that facility any information you have about the vehicle and its owner or operator
  • have the proper class of driver's licence for the tow truck you are driving
  • follow the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) laws related to tow trucks at or near collision scenes, and all other HTA requirements, including for:
    • speed
    • obeying the direction of police
    • not attempting to provide towing services in a restricted towing zone unless authorized

Tow truck drivers must not:

  • allow a passenger (other than from the vehicle you are towing) to travel in the tow truck for the purpose of selling any product or service. You may still allow customers from a disabled vehicle to travel in your vehicle as passengers, however any non-customer passenger riding in your vehicle must be recorded on your run sheet
  • tow a vehicle to a repair business unless the customer has agreed to it
  • receive any compensation or benefit from providing advice or information to anyone that leads to any further towing, storing, appraising, repairing or wrecking services
  • refer anyone to legal or health care services
  • engage in prohibited practices such as:
    • using false advertising
    • charging a higher amount than previously arranged
    • soliciting services that have not been requested
    • misusing information gained about a customer

Requirements for tow operators

In addition to following the code of conduct, tow operators must:

  • take precautions to prevent loss from, or damage to, any vehicle they tow
  • keep your tow trucks and equipment in good repair
  • ensure that every tow truck driver you employ obeys the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act (TSSEA) and its regulations
  • maintain and monitor your email addresses
  • display your name and certificate number on every tow truck you operate
  • display your legal name, operating name, email address, telephone number and a copy of your certificate in any premises open to the public and on any website or social media you maintain
  • tell the customer about any interest you may have in a person, business or facility you referred them to
  • if towing a vehicle to a vehicle storage facility, provide the operator of that facility with any information you have about the vehicle and its owner or operator
  • keep records of your towing business, including towed vehicles, consent records, invoices and rate schedules
  • accept multiple payment methods (such as commonly used credit cards, debit cards and cash)

Tow operators must not:

Requirements for vehicle storage operators

In addition to following the code of conduct, vehicle storage operators must:

  • take precautions to prevent loss or damage to vehicles being held in your storage facilities
  • maintain and monitor your email addresses
  • take steps to inform vehicle owners or operators about the location their vehicle is stored
  • display your legal name, operating name, email address and telephone number on the outside of your storage facilities
  • post the following information at all storage facilities in a place where people are likely to see it, as well as on any website or social media you maintain:
    1. your legal name and, if different, the name under which you carry on business
    2. a copy of your vehicle storage certificate
    3. your telephone number, business address, email address and hours of operation
    4. your current maximum rate schedule
  • allow authorized persons, at no charge, to have reasonable access to the vehicle during your regular business hours
  • make reasonable efforts to release the vehicle promptly or as soon as possible when requested by authorized persons
  • tell the customer about any interest you may have in a person, business or facility you referred them to
  • keep records of your vehicle storage business, including stored vehicles, invoices and rate schedules
  • accept multiple payment methods (such as commonly used credit cards, debit cards and cash)

Vehicle storage operators must not:

  • refuse an authorized person access to your facility or the purposes of retrieving a stored vehicle, or require additional/different authorized person(s) to accompany them
  • request payment before providing a proper invoice to the customer
  • charge more than your published rates
  • receive any compensation or benefit from providing advice or information to anyone that leads to any further towing, storing, appraising, repairing or wrecking services
  • refer anyone to legal or health care services
  • engage in prohibited practices such as:
    • using false advertising
    • charging a higher amount than previously arranged
    • soliciting services that have not been requested
    • misusing information gained about a customer

Rates

Tow and vehicle storage operators must submit your maximum rates to the Ministry of Transportation by using the self-service portal. The rates you submit will appear on your maximum rate schedule, which your customers can view.

Once you submit your rates, you may update them whenever you choose. Please note changes to an existing rate requires 30 days before the updated rate becomes effective.

Guidelines

  • The Ministry of Transportation does not approve rates; however, they are subject to review. We can reject rates that we think are unreasonable and request that you submit new amounts, even if your rates have already been published. In these cases, you will be contacted by the Ministry of Transportation and may be assigned new interim rates.
  • The Maximum Rate Schedule provides the flexibility for compensation for services provided. It allows operators to submit the highest rate, which may be necessary and appropriate, depending on the circumstances. It does not set a fixed price for a service, nor does it prevent customers or their representatives from negotiating an acceptable price for that service.
  • Your published maximum rates should represent the highest charges that would be appropriate and applicable in rare or unique circumstances. In most scenarios (i.e. those related to typical or average towing or storage events,) you would charge less than your maximum published rate.
  • You cannot charge for a service unless it appears on your maximum rate schedule
  • You are not allowed to charge more than your maximum rate for any service
  • Please note that the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act and the publishing of your Maximum Rate Schedule does not guarantee payment of invoices or compel customers to satisfy an outstanding account.
  • Tow truck drivers or tow operators must provide your maximum rate schedule to customers when you request consent to tow.
  • Vehicle storage operators must display your current maximum rate schedule at all premises where you store vehicles. It must be displayed in a place that is visible and noticeable by the public.

Learn more about towing and vehicle storage rates in Ontario.