News reports coming out of Chicago indicate organized crime rings are targeting truck drivers. But unlike the Al Capone Mafia of yesteryear, it appears criminals are using tow trucks to scam owner-operators.
The Windy City ranks among the top 10 largest freight hubs in the country. Its narrow roads and intricate low-hanging infrastructure make it a veritable minefield for tractor-trailers to negotiate. A single misstep can cause a tractor-trailer to become lodged under overpasses and steel-reinforced bridges. Jammed rigs are a regular occurrence, and scam artists operating tow trucks have honest CDL holders in their crosshairs.
Once a rig gets stuck, seemingly good Samaritans arrive out of nowhere. Unsolicited tow trucks run a game on anxious truckers and offer to dislodge the tractor, trailer, or both. Truckers find out, after the fact, that no dollar amount was agreed upon, and the tow truck operators demand thousands.
In some cases, tow truck operators wait near overpasses known to upend unfamiliar drivers. An NBC 5 news report spoke with a truck driver who was encouraged to get logjammed.
“I think I’m not going to be able to get through. And they speak Spanish to me, which gave me confidence, and they tell me, ‘Yes, you’re going to be able to go through, go ahead,’” California trucker Heber Velasco reportedly said of his experience approaching the Brighton Park overpass in the area of 2500 W. 35th Street. “I said, ‘Well, maybe he is a good Samaritan.’ So I move forward. When the trailer starts to get in, everything is fine, and suddenly it gets stuck.”
An outfit Velasco identified as having “Wrecker Services” on its door reportedly assured him help was on the way. He said he declined their offer to help because he sustained only minor property damage and believed he could extricate the rig. Velasco reportedly said they towed his equipment without his permission.
He went to a location where the tractor-trailer was supposed to be dropped. It turned out to be a gated lot, and the outfit used a P.O. Box for a business address. It’s not uncommon for truckers to arrive only to discover their property is not there, and neither are the people who hauled it away. Velasco and his employer both contended they did not solicit or agree to the tow.
Police reportedly looked into the matter, and Wrecker Services produced a signed agreement. Velasco said he did not sign it and the police then considered the case a civil matter. Reports indicate the company requested $17,000 for the tow but agreed to take $15,000.
This was not an isolated incident. Other truckers who get stuck in Chicago’s confusing overpass system have routinely reported bills of $10,000. Some say their rigs were held for ransom after a towing outfit demanded $40,000 for unsolicited services. It also appears Chicago will continue to be a breeding ground for towing scams as officials do not have a solution.
“Our hands are tied in some ways,” Britney Bouie, Director of Communications for the Illinois Commerce Commission, reportedly said. “Federal legislation preempts a lot of our abilities to be stricter on some of the (towing) regulations here in the state of Illinois.”
Sources: nbcchicago.com
Everyone doing business with big trucks in Chicago should have a toll free number to call for directions to their location. I once delivered to a customer there who told me to meet their trucks in a mall parking lot at 2 AM. The load was transferred from my trailer to their straight trucks because there was no way for me to get to them. Cops driving by knew what was going on and didn’t bother us. New York metro area is just as bad.
The law allows this to happen, not just Chicago. Perhaps Biggest organized crime gang comes out of Washington DC.
“Perhaps Biggest organized crime gang comes out of Washington DC.” couldn’t have been said better except to add it’s at the state level just as well
I refuse to run inside the city of Il but I will run outside the city if it pays enough, otherwise f chiraq
Man I’m trying to figure out why Chicago has any bridges below truck height in the first place like c’mon people get with the times man. It shouldn’t be a bridge in this country under 13’8
I can’t believe you actually said that, you obviously have not been behind the wheel to long, I’m not going to discriminate you, but just a little advice especially for Illinois that I know for a fact. It has changed in the last 10 years that Chicago area is digging out low overpasses, but a driver can get with roads and bridges authority and can get a map of low bridges and weight restrictions for trucks.
Years agoI used to haul to Chicago twice a week for a few months. Before that I went to the Big Apple a few times. Nothing compares to New York City, but Chicago ranks just behind it when it comes to the difficulty of navigating, the low bridges, no street signs and dangerous areas to get stuck in. I have never had any problems I couldn’t get out of. Never hit a low bridge, never even got close to one. It’s called thorough planning. And it pre before internet and GPS. You plan your routes and also make a plan B and C if B doesn’t work. Above all you call ahead. Today with Google Streets, Maps and internet as a whole, there is no excuse to hit a bridge. If you do you’re a moron and have no business driving big trucks. If you hit bridges, you sure do other stupid driving errors. You have no driving IQ, or very little of it. Go drive an uber.
Yo Mack,. Even with todays technology and lack of education and common sense abound…calling ahead, researching google can be just as bad as winging it or “asking locals”. Used to be bridges/tunnels weren’t marked or marked incorrectly. No one here ever call a wrecker ? How about you Mack ? The gist is the predatory practices and rates. Need to start a TV reality show. CashCow Truckers.
i thought they were talking about the brokers ,isnt that organized crime, ooh well my bad