TechnoWeenie wrote:jdigitty wrote:You can cage them pretty easy......
Then you get into 'destruction of property', and 'vehicle tampering'....even if it's just a temporary 'fix'..
In some states, tampering with the brakes on a vehicle you don't own is a felony ;)
I was in the Towing and Impound business for 12 years.
Caging Brakes is a standard Towing/impound practice on Airbrake Vehicles. It is not illegal in this state. Other states may vary.
It is not "Destruction of Property" and it is not "Vehicle Tampering" in Washington. I've sat in on that court case when we impounded an Atlas Freight Semi and they tried to make that claim when we said we caged the brakes. Since both require intent to cause harm or damage to the vehicle, and the whole point of a quality tow company is to do no damage to the towed vehicle - Even if the tow company had harmed the vehicle, it would have been accidental, not intentional. Given that there was no evidence of damage, much less intentional damage, the Judge dismissed the case.
Caging does not damage the brakes in any way when done properly. You simply use special bolts to depress the bleeder on the airbrake cans. Once the bolts are backed off, and removed, the brakes work as normal. (It is time-consuming to do... Like 15 minutes)
The vehicle you are going to get could be towed by any class "C" Semi truck tow truck. But they would have to know what they are doing, because of the 6 wheel drive.
And if they knew what they were doing, then your Airbrakes wouldn't matter in the first place since they would fork it and tow it from the rear.
It is however, illegal to impound an occupied vehicle in Washinton. And in most States. In such a case, the police are usually called out to force you to remove the offending vehicle or arrest you for trespassing.
If you get arrested, the impound proceeds as normal. If you move the vehicle, the tow truck leaves. Simple as that.
Most Walmarts have a 72 hour stay period. Put it this way...if you see Semis parked somewhere....you're probably safe.
