Charlotte officials are paying attention after a truck driver was charged $9,000 for a tow earlier this year.
Truck driver Donald Hicklin Jr. was parked at a lot along Sunset Road in Charlotte, North Carolina when his rig was towed for exceeding the allotted parking limit by 30 minutes. When he finally got the bill, the itemized list showed $7,000 for the impound and tow, $500 for storage of the truck, and $1,500 in administrative fees. Now, Hicklin’s situation has come to the attention of local officials.
“Yes, you have a right as a property owner, but it does not give anyone the right to take advantage of our community,” said Charlotte City Councilwoman At-Large Dimple Ajmera to WSOCTV.
Ajmera says that she has received multiple complaints about local towing practices from citizens, and is now working with city staff to keep track of companies that continue to charge excessive prices. The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office will then be notified of the predatory towing companies that continue to be repeat offenders.
For now, North Carolina does not set maximum allowable rates for nonconsensual private property towing,
“Oh, it’s beyond excessive. It’s predatory!… They just take advantage of the laws,” Hicklin said.
