Mississippi Cracks Down on Predatory Towing Practices

A new law passed by both parts of the state legislature and signed by the governor will be going into effect on July 1st for the Hospitality State, offering more hospitality to all drivers, truckers and passenger vehicles alike (though it is primarily aimed at commercial vehicles), by establishing regulations against predatory towing practices.

Details

SB2635 has numerous implications for Mississippi. Perhaps the largest one is the establishment of the “Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee”, which will address future regulations for the towing industry within the state. Other changes include (but are not limited to):

• Allows owners and drivers access to the inside of their impounded vehicle. Membership will include two members of the Mississippi Towing Associations and two from the Mississippi Trucking Association.
• Towers must document the condition of the vehicle before a non-consensual tow.
• Prevents officials from having a conflict of interest in regards to which towing services it uses, via things such as part ownership or kickbacks.
• Prohibits the use of “spotters”, people employed for the purpose of finding targets to tow.

The bill has been met with support from the Mississippi Trucking Association. Hal Miller, president, says that the Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee would also establish an appeals process for nonconsensual towing to determine whether or not it was valid. “That way,” he says, “the motor carrier will have some voice in whether or not that invoicing was fair. That same committee will be essentially operated as an appeals board to hear those appeals and then address them accordingly.”

Conclusion

This is not the first time that the United States has had instances of putting the greater towing industry under scrutiny. In late November, ATRI asked truckers for their experiences. More recently, Florida passed an anti-predatory trucking bill with unanimous approval from both sides of the state legislature.

It likely will not be the last case, either. With towing being a headache for everyone except the towing company in question, it is likely that the general public will fight tooth and nail to get every concession that it can across the country. While towing is a necessary part of society when vehicles are parked where they should not be (blocking a throughway for emergency vehicles, for instance), it is important to mitigate the downsides of bad apples in the business.

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