Articles, analysis, and updates from the US towing industry.
Months after Kansas City's anti-predatory towing law took effect, a driver reported being charged $857 for a roughly three-mile tow, highlighting enforcement gaps in the new ordinance that caps tow and storage fees. The case has prompted renewed scrutiny of how the city tracks and penalizes non-compliant operators.
Kansas City, Mo.'s new towing ordinance, introduced by Councilman Darrell Curls, took effect Jan. 1, capping tows at $265 and storage at $30 per day, requiring written landowner permission for private-property tows, and barring a tow if the owner is present and can move the car. Companies must log tows on a citywide platform and face $1,000 penalties for illegal operation. (Reported January 2026.)
NASCAR announced Jan. 29 that Miller Industries, the world's leading manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment, signed a long-term deal to serve as the Official Towing and Recovery Equipment Provider of NASCAR, supplying a full fleet of recovery equipment at national series events. The gear debuted at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. (Reported January 2026.)
A Colorado driver attempting to take a Ford pickup towing a travel trailer through the Saco Covered Bridge in Conway, N.H., struck the bridge's low-clearance signs shortly before 2 p.m. June 9 and left the scene. Police later located her at a nearby campground. The incident renewed concern over oversized towed loads on historic structures.
A Richmond judge on June 8 sentenced Sherral Crawley, owner of No Limit Towing, to an additional five years in prison on top of a 3.5-year Caroline County sentence. Police say the business unlawfully towed vehicles from private lots, then quickly sold or crushed them, some destroyed within a day. The judge exceeded sentencing guidelines and ordered restitution and supervised probation.
Daniel 'DJ' Ortiz, 24, of Hopatcong was killed in early June while assisting a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of I-287 in Morris County, N.J., when a Jeep veered onto the shoulder and struck him, his tow truck and the disabled car. Pierre Innocent of Orange has been charged with second-degree reckless vehicular homicide. Ortiz worked for Ron and Sons Towing, which urged drivers to obey the Move Over law.