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Company Profile & Client Endorsements

We are New York City's foremost network of attorneys and transportation specialists helping companies adjudicate parking violations at the N.Y.C. Dept. of Finance since 1975. We process approximately 600 parking tickets each week for approximately 90 commercial clients with an average dismissal rate of 70%. Our computerized data entry, retrieval and tracking system is unsurpassed in keeping your summons records up to date. Optional services and weekly data reports include copy requests, P.V.B. document retrieval, & hearing payments. Our daily involvement with the New York Department of Finance affords you periodic bulletins regarding the latest information or new rules and regulations that directly involve you. Other services that we perform are M.V.T. stamp procurement, D.M.V. visitation, Environmental, Overload, and other New York City or New York State appearances for moving violations.

"They are the watchdog over the P.V.B." Joel Sandberg Corporate Controller Davis & Warshow	"V.S.B.I.'s computerized summons report are more accurate than those we receive from the P.V.B. We have the utmost confidence in their control of the P.V.B. situation." Bob Averack Whirlpool Corp.
"They stepped in and within a matter of days had our whole accounts payable nightmare with the P.V.B. under control. The P.V.B. is a constant liability." Carl Gionotti Sara Lee Coffee & Tea	"I am most impressed with V.S.B.I.'s speed in preparation and fax/modem transmission of the affidavits needed for the P.V.B. hearings." Michelle Foote Nabisco Corp.
"Not only are they netting us better then 80% dismissal, we are experiencing an intelligent program of accuracy with up to the minute reporting." Patricia Casamassa The Trane Company

Reasons for Using V.S.B.I. for your NYC Parking Ticket Representation as opposed to In-House Software Ticket Fighting Programs or Brokers.

Immediate Attorney supervised summons & Defense Review
14 Day Summons Hearing Turnaround
State-of-the-art Computer Summons Tracking and Monitoring
Client Summons History Reports & Plate Checks
Immediate Hearing Payment Receipts
Pending Judgments& Judgments Identified prior to Execution
An average summons dismissal rate of 70%
Cutting down labor costs

Our Staff

Marc Hittner, President, V.S.B.I.

1976 - Graduated Allegheny College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.

1978 - Joined M.A. Hittner & Sons, Inc. as a third generation family member in charge of Sales, Marketing, Public Relations, and as Contract Agreement Author and Negotiator for long and short term truck lease accounts.

1979 - Founded charter member of the newly created Amtralease Network, a national association of independent truck rental companies and a truck facilities across North America.

1986 - Established a new division of the truck rental business providing vehicles to Major Motion Picture Productions on the East coast.

1988 - Founded the Los Angeles based Hittner Truck Rental West, Inc. established for the Motion Picture Industry and music productions on the West coast and the Continental United States.

1990 - Sales and marketing director for Seymour Hittner, Esq. specializing in national fleets and commercial accounts requiring representation and management at the New York City Department of Finance for violations and liabilities.

1995 - Created the Violation Settlements Bureau, Inc.

Seymour Hittner, ESQ.

1948 - Graduated St. Johns School of Law.

1960-1990 - Founder of Hittner Truck Rentals.

1980 - President of Car and Truck Rental and Leasing Association (CATRALA).

1999 - Full-time Council for V.S.B.I. with 25 years of experience in Transportation Law.

Quaterly Newsletter

Newsletter Volume 12

New Client Bio.

V.S.B.I. is pleased to announce the addition of Hub Truck Rental to our client roster. Doing business since 1960, their 900 delivery vehicles service lessees in and around New York City. Hub's most "ticket intensive" branch facility is their Maspeth, Queens location.

Noteworthy quips and tips at the N.Y.C. Department of Finance.

Parking Violation Officials have verified that vehicles standing in bus stops are subject to immediate towing. This edict allows traffic enforces riding MTA buses to immediately tow trucks and issue summonses. The infraction could costs up the owner $130.00 prior to storage charges levied at the tow pound not to mention a possible "moving violation" summons issued to the company driver. Conversely, "code 46" double parking, may be dismissed at hearing.

N.Y.C. calls lettering on truck cab doors and side panels "improper" and its creating a feasts for parking enforcement ticket writers.

N.Y.C. D.O.T. regulation S4-01 sub. C states that company name and address must be at least 3" high, permanent, and non-contrasting in color. V.S.B.I. includes truck photos in our client dosier to fight "code 82" summonses.

N.Y.C. Parking Violation computers have traditionally provided incomplete and inaccurate reports for company liabilities.

Recently, V.S.B.I. identified more then 150 "never before seen" summonses from 1997 and 1998 that mysteriously appeared on our latest quarterly printout request for one of our clients. The Department of Finance, in as kind a gesture as is possible from the municipal body, levied the traditional $10.00 penalty for each of these 2 year old summonses. They are also considered "current" and not judgment threatening for another 60 days. Unidentified judgments can trigger registration denials or automatic seizure of assets by the city without warning. V.S.B.I. typically triple checks the city's data and notifications to verify actual amounts due.

N.Y.C.'s demand for penalties after summons fines are paid continues to plague companies.

City employees' casual entry of "payment dates" often miss the window of opportunity; thereby creating as much as an additional $60.00 penalty liability per summons. V.S.B.I. encourages direct personal payment. Our client's payment logs are hand stamped for verification at the city cashier. Highlight all guilty summonses & amounts on the logs that add up to your check total.

Attention: Companies Using In-House Procedures Or Software Programs Who Fight Parking Tickets Themselves!!

Take the V.S.B.I. corporate challenge for a 3-month trial. We will guarantee overall savings and up to date status and monitoring of your tickets.

Increased Penalties At The N.Y.C. Environmental Control Board For Noise Violations.

Mayor Guiliani signed a new statute, Local Law 84 of 1997, raising the maximum fine for the motor vehicle noise to $1400. It can cost repeat offenders $4200. Trucks compressors, construction equipment, and even nightclub owners can receive "excessive noise level" summonses. Arthur Miller, V.S.B.I.'s Legal counsel, who regularly appears at the ECB, reminds fleet owners receiving a Notice of Violation returnable at the ECB for noise or other quality of life violations, should carefully examine the complaint. Like parking tickets, there are several defenses that may be raised which could lead to dismissal or mitigation. As Millers says, many respondents cure the alleged violation and then appear at the ECB without proper response to the charge. At the hearing, if the respondent's only testimony is that the violation was cured, the judge could determine that the violation was admitted and impose the maximum fine.For repeat offenders, it is best not to have a record of admitted violations.

Tougher Air Emissions Testing Is In Effect.

Federal Clean Air Act amendments now require N.Y.'s gas-powered vehicles to a new, stricter test. The "High Enhanced Emissions Inspection Program" is now part of the annual vehicle inspection. The results are sent electronically to the D.M.V. Registration renewals may be rejected if the dynamometer readings do not pass the test.

Parking Violation Of The Month.

We find the code 84 violation for "Lowered Liftgate Platform" to be the latest trendsetter in the N.Y.C.'s ticket writing portfolio. This summons has gained popularity over the past six months with a 12% rise in our computer data track. Regardless of time, if a liftgate is being utilized, make sure the driver or helper is present if the gate is not returned to the upright locked position. Also, as an aside, if your truck engine is running while operating the liftgate, you are subject to a ECB fine.

P.V.B. Fleet Program Participants Woes Continue.

Last summer, P.V.B. Administrative Judges were told that they could not hear parking tickets issued to Fleet Program participants unless those tickets were accompanied by the Fleet Program computerized SWRPT-155 reports. V.S.B.I. lobbied hard to permit hearings without these "official" reports. As V.S.B.I. told Department of Finance officials, Fleet Program participants do not always get timely or accurate notification of tickets issued to their vehicles. V.S.B.I.'s plate by plate research reveals parking summonses that never appear in the 155 reports. In recognition of these problems, the Commercial Adjudication Unit has suspended this rule, thereby allowed newly issued summonses to be heard unhampered and on time. While V.S.B.I. continues to use the 155 reports, we applaud the Fleet Program for its efforts to stop City enforcement agencies from towing fleet participants vehicles. Presently, if a company owes more than $230 in judgments, any of their vehicles can be towed.