(Amended by Ord. No. 152,905, Eff. 10/19/79.)
(a) Permit Required. (Amended by Ord. No. 158,406, Eff. 11/20/83.)
(1) No person shall operate or drive a tow unit nor shall any person be employed as a tow unit operator until such time as said person has received a written permit from the Board to act as a tow unit operator except that any person employed as a tow unit operator may operate a tow truck without permit while under the immediate and direct supervision of a permitted tow unit operator for a period of not to exceed seven consecutive calendar days from the initial date of employment.
(2) In addition to or in lieu of a Board-issued temporary permit authorized by 103.06(b), a temporary permit not to exceed 45 days may be issued to an applicant by the Secretary of the Board provided the following conditions are met:
a. An application for permit is on file at the main office of the City Clerk and all permit fees have been paid; and
b. A preliminary investigation by Commission staff does not reveal information which would normally constitute grounds for denial; and
c. The applicant possesses a valid California Driver’s license.
The Secretary of the Board may suspend such temporary permit at any time if the Secretary has reason to believe that any of the above conditions have not been met. The Secretary shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons for any such suspension, and the application for a permanent permit shall continue to be processed according to provisions of this Code and any applicable rules and regulations of the Board.
(b) Identification Card. Every person possessing either a temporary or permanent permit to act as a tow unit operator shall at all times while directly engaged in the operation of a tow unit carry upon their person an identification card issued by the Board identifying the bearer as a tow unit operator and shall display such card to any police officer upon request. The identification card shall bear the name, physical description, business address, and photograph of the permittee and the name and address of the garage employing the permittee.
The identification card shall be returned to the Board immediately upon suspension, revocation or termination of employment.
(c) Official Police Garage Tow Unit Operator. As used in this article, Official Police Garage Tow Unit Operator means the driver of a tow unit employed by an Official Police Garage to respond to police-initiated requests for tow service. No person shall operate as tow unit bearing an Official Police Garage insignia without written permission from the Board.
(d) Change of Location. A change of location may be endorsed on a permit by the Board upon a written application by the permittee accompanied by a change of location fee prescribed in Section 103.12 of this Code.