Progress is being made at statehouses around the country to provide basic consumer protections from predatory towing for truck drivers and others.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has worked and will continue to work with states to adopt regulations to protect truck drivers involved in a nonconsensual tow.
Missouri
In Missouri, the House Transportation Committee voted to advance a bill that covers predatory towing.
Sponsored by Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, HB745 would require setting procedures for a complaint filing and adjudication process. Provisions are included to at least temporarily prohibit towing companies from performing nonconsensual tows if found in violation of state law. Certain information must also be entered on every invoice for a nonconsensual tow.
The state Department of Transportation would be responsible for establishing a “Towing and Recovery Review Board.” The seven-member board would include “one member representing independent owner-operator truck drivers.”
Griffith told the committee that the board would provide truck drivers with an avenue for possible recourse.
“This bill will create an avenue for independent truckers and the trucking industry to dispute the charges. Right now, they don’t have that,” he said.
Another provision would permit the owner or operator of a commercial vehicle to request a specific towing company. Law enforcement would be required to honor the request, “except under certain conditions.”
Also included is a provision to regulate the release of vehicles if fees are disputed. Additionally, per-pound charges for nonconsensual tows would be prohibited.
OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh testified at the hearing on behalf of the Association’s 7,600 Missouri-based members.
Pugh explained that owner-operators are not protected against towing companies charging whatever amount they want for a tow. In these instances, he said the impact on a small-business truck driver can be devastating.
“A lot of times, accidents that involve trucks and cars are the fault of the person in the car. When something like this happens to you as a small-business trucker, your life is pretty much devastated,” he said.
HB745 awaits further consideration in the House.
Arkansas
An Arkansas House panel voted to advance a bill that covers towing of commercial and personal vehicles.
The House Public Transportation Committee held a hearing on a bill to enact towing reforms that are intended to end predatory towing and excessive pricing.
Daryl Bassett, Arkansas Secretary of Labor and Licensing, told the committee there are some “bad actors” in the towing industry. As a result, action is needed to protect consumers and the large majority of tow companies that run their business the right way.
“Predatory towing is an issue that continues to rear its ugly head as I talk to consumers around the state and as I talk to industry,” Bassett testified. “The goal of this bill is to protect Arkansas consumers and businesses from any unlawful, deceptive or improper towing practices.”
Arkansas law permits a towing or storage company to hold a vehicle for a lien or claim for unpaid towing and storage fees.
Sponsored by Rep. Stetson Painter, R-Mountain Home, HB1897 includes a provision that would allow the vehicle owner to have his or her cargo returned for a fee.
“The bill ensures that (towers) will get 35% of the value of the cargo up front, and they can still have a lien on the cargo,” Bassett said.
He described the provision as a win-win for towers and trucking operations.
“No longer do (trucking companies) have to wait for their cargo … They can get their cargo, they can get it to market, they can make the sales and they can pay the tow truck operator,” he added.
Critics have said that bill passage would result in tow companies abandoning non-consent towing.
The Arkansas Towing Board is also covered in the bill.
Qualifications and membership of the board would be revised to improve towing industry regulation and enforcement in the state. The bill specifies that two members would be from the trucking industry.
The revision to the nine-member board makeup is described in HB1897 as necessary “to decrease the influence of active market participants” and to enable the board to “more fairly and efficiently perform the duties and obligations of the board.”
Painter said he recognizes it is not a perfect bill.
“There has not been a bill in this Legislature that is 100% perfect. But is it a step in the right direction? Yes,” Painter said. “We have tried to accommodate the best we can to make sure we serve everybody. (Tow truck operators), truckers, the consumers.”
The committee voted to advance the bill.
North Carolina
Two tow bills are under review at the North Carolina statehouse.
The first bill, H472, addresses commercial booting and return of commercial cargo.
Immobilization of a commercial vehicle would be outlawed. The ban would apply to any device such as a boot.
Violators would face misdemeanor charges.
According to a local media report, predatory towing has been an issue in the state.
Also covered in the bill are rules for the return of cargo. Specifically, a tower of a nonconsensual tow or government-initiated tow would be required to return any commercial cargo to the truck driver or owner of the cargo.
A trailer swap would be permitted under the condition that a different trailer “is in equal or better condition” than the towed trailer.
The bill is in the House Transportation Committee.
Many thanks to Reps. @AlanBranson1, @DonnieLoftis2, @mikefor35, and @zackhawkinsnc for filing a bill to ban booting on commercial trucks and make sure cargo gets released ASAP after a tow. Much-needed change for NC truckers and the supply chain! 🚛💨
— Ben Greenberg (@NCTruckingPrez) March 20, 2025
The second bill, H577, covers predatory towing and towing rotation lists.
Dubbed the “Protect Towers and Truckers Act,” the bill calls for the creation of a Towing and Recovery Commission to implement towing rules.
The stated purpose of the commission is to decide disputes from fees charged for towing and remediation services in response to a request from a law enforcement officer using the state’s rotation system.
Towing services would be required to submit hourly price rates before being added to the rotation system. The commission also would determine the “reasonableness of fees charged” by a towing service in the rotation system.
In cases of a dispute of a heavy-duty wrecker rotation tow, the tow company would be able to complete a trailer swap for cargo.
The swapped trailer must be of equal or better condition than the original towed trailer. Affected loads must be owned, leased or operated by the same company.
Nonconsensual tows are also covered in the bill. Like H472, a commercial vehicle would be prohibited from being immobilized using a device such as a boot.
🚨 NC House Bill 577 Filed! 🚨
This bill creates a Towing & Recovery Commission to regulate fees, ensure fair practices & protect truckers.
Thanks to Reps. @mcneely_jeff, @AlanBranson1 & @B_RayJeffers for their leadership!
— Ben Greenberg (@NCTruckingPrez) March 31, 2025
Illinois
The Illinois Senate voted Friday, April 4 to advance a bill that is touted to target towing “bad actors.”
Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, has described her bill as going after towing operators who ignore penalties and continue operating under new business names.
Currently, the Illinois Commerce Commission issues fines to violators, but many of the worst offenders ignore penalties and continue operating under new business names.
SB2040 would allow the commission to impound tow trucks with unpaid fines and would allow the state to suspend plates from tow trucks with unpaid fines.
In addition, fraudulent towers would be banned from obtaining new licenses for three years. Tow truck operators would also be forbidden from placing liens on essential personal property left in a towed vehicle.
“For too long, predatory towing operators have taken advantage of unsuspecting drivers, leaving them with outrageous fees, missing belongings and no recourse,” Villanueva said in prepared remarks. “This legislation is about restoring fairness and accountability to the system, ensuring that no one falls victim to these deceptive practices.”
The bill next heads to the Senate.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, a House bill would make it easier to get a large truck to a preferred facility for service.
The Commonwealth authorizes tow combinations only under certain strict parameters and on certain highways. Trucks requiring emergency service must be towed to a nearby garage or “other place of safety.”
Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Clinton/Union, has described her legislation as easing regulations on the towing industry to allow for safer operating procedures.
HB188 would permit a truck tractor with up to two trailers that require emergency service to be towed to a location of the owner’s choosing or other place of safety off a highway.
The change would also apply to overweight combinations as long as the tow truck travels directly to the place of repairs or place of safety.
Borowicz said that her bill would “ease regulations on our tow truck drivers and increase safety on the roads across the Commonwealth.” LL
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