OKLAHOMA WRECKER OWNERS ASSOCIATION - JULY 2000
Dear Fellow Wrecker Owners:
Happy Fourth of July! I don’t have a lot to share since the Legislative session has ended. the Governor has signed our bill into law and we are entitled to our rate increase. The are a few provisions that the insurance industry has added to our regulations and I have written a letter with what I believe will be the interpretation that we will need to follow to comply with the few changes made. Most of us are already performing these items as a normal course of business. I am glad we got this rate increase, especially in light of the fuel prices. I only hope this is enough to keep us “even”. I once again want to make sure everyone knows that we were extremely lucky to have gotten this rate increase passed in the Legislature. We owe a great debt of thanks and support to Senator Lewis Long (D – Glenpool) and Representative Jim Glover (D – Elgin) for helping to make sure this bill was passed. I will include their address and phone number so our thanks can be made. We also have some co-authors that helped us with our bill. Representatives Ron Kirby (D – Lawton) and Phil Ostrander ((D – Collinsville) should also be supported for their efforts. There were many other Senators and Representatives that helped us and supported us. We do have a good rapport with the Legislature. We owe a lot of that to our lobbyists. They did a wonderful job to make sure our bill didn’t disappear with the hundreds of bills that died this year. This is an election year. All of the Representatives and the Senators with odd numbered districts will be up for re-election. Please let these dedicated men and women know how much we appreciate them and their help this year. Shawnee Meeting Gene Fitzpatrick was our “speaker” for June. Earl Finch of E & J Auto Center was host. He did a great job as usual. Mr. Fitzpatrick (who quickly informed us that his name was Gene) answered every question asked and was extremely knowledgeable of the wrecker regulations. The new rotation rules will go into effect July 15th. The new rules will funnel down from the Troop Commanders to their respective Troops. It may take a while but the changes should help.
If a wrecker service wants to be on more than one rotation log a request will need to be made to the Troop Commander. This provision is for the wrecker services that are extremely close to the edge of their rotation area. The MVID is not responsible for rotation problems. That is to be handled by the Troop Commanders and the normal “chain of command” if problems arise. I want to thank Mr. Fitzpatrick, I mean Gene, for attending our meeting. It was one of the best meetings I have had the pleasure to preside over. Insurance Dumping I have had one report of a Personal Property Lien being filed and the insurance company is supporting the lien by making sure the wrecker owner’s name is on the insurance check. However, I have had several reports that insurance companies are getting more forceful at abandoning vehicles and offering the wrecker fees only (if that). They are not paying for storage for vehicles that they owe for. It is time that we tried to figure a way to make sure insurance companies are forced to pay for charges due on law enforcement tows. It is not fair that we must “eat” these fees when performing duties for the State and cities that request our services. I assume there will some limit on the number of days we can charge for unless requested by an owner, lien holder, insurance company or law enforcement agency. This all needs to be thought about and worked out. If we decide to develop legislation that will address this, we will see how strong insurance companies are. They do a lot of lobbying at the Capitol. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. We must have data and proof of unfair practices. We also must have a large membership. A lot of wrecker owners didn’t think we had a chance for a rate increase that we deserved. We proved we needed it and it’s now ours. If you have any proof of insurance dumping, please document the facts (who, what, when, where, & how). Try to get claim numbers and names. If possible, photos of the abandoned vehicle and what happened when you tried to dispose of it. The insurance companies don’t understand how the low price of scrap metal has caused that vehicle to be a liability instead of an asset. They don’t understand that the salvage is worth a lot less that it was last year. We need to let them know these things. Next Meeting Our next meeting will be in Tulsa. The host will be Bill Inhofe of Sooner Emergency. Harold Baker of Storey Wrecker in Tulsa will run the meeting. The meeting will be located at 2131 S 49th, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The phone for Sooner Emergency is (918) 683-2936. There is a toll number of (800) 722-4901. The topic will be Hazardous Material. Sooner Emergency will covers areas to keep us out of trouble and to show us proper procedures. It should be a very informative meeting. Bill Inhofe will provide the meal. Therefore he needs a headcount. Please call Storey Wrecker with the number of people that plan to attend if you would like a free meal. You can’t beat that, a free class and meal. All wrecker owners are invited to attend. The meeting won’t last very long so we can cover HazMat items. Don’t forget to send in your dues. The rate increase should help fund a payment system to help pay our lobbyists for this benefit. We do take payments. We need a good list of all Class AA wreckers to show the Legislators that we are united and support the measures our industry needs and is entitled to have. Please fill out your application today. A small payment will get you on our list. To send thanks and support to Senator Long and Representative Glover, contact them at:
Next Meeting, July
11th, 2000
Meal 7:00 pm – Meeting at 8:00 pm
Call for reservations, meal
is furnished Storey Wrecker – 918 585-5571 |