About the Towing and Recovery Board

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Regulatory Review Panel commissioned by the US Congress in 1984 determined that Arkansas along with 30 other states failed to comply with federal regulations relating to certain commercial vehicles, specifically wreckers (tow vehicles).

• The Arkansas legislature created the Board of Wrecker Operators in 1987, Act 42 of 1987 to ensure compliance.
• Act 899 of 1989 Created the Arkansas Towing & Recovery Board repealing Act 42 of 1987.
• Act 33 of 1991 placed the regulation and safety of wreckers under the highway commission.
• Act 1000 of 1993 established comprehensive laws to provide for the removal of abandoned vehicles, licensing requirements and tow operations, the possessory lien and administrative procedures and established the towing and recovery board.

Subsequent legislation restored the agency as an independent regulatory body, (no longer under the highway commission), strengthened the criminal provisions, clarified the possessory lien law and notification process as well as the consumer protection provisions creating the agency as it exists today.

THE TOW BOARD TODAY

The Arkansas Towing & Recovery Board is governed by nine (9) members appointed by the governor to three (3) year terms. The make-up of the board consists of three (3) members actively engaged in business in the towing industry, licensed by the board, and appointed from the state at large, one (1) member who is the Director of the Division of the Arkansas State Police or his or her designee, one (1) member who is a current or former municipal chief of police or current or former county sheriff with knowledge of the towing industry, one (1) member who is appointed from the commercial trucking insurance industry, one (1) member who is appointed from the trucking industry, one (1) member who has no affiliation with the tow industry and who serves as a representative of consumers of towing services and one (1) member who is a currently employed or retired person with at least five (5) years of experience responding to fire and emergency response incidents.

The tow board employs a professional, experienced staff dedicated to working with the tow industry and the motoring public. The staff is assisted by a representative from the Attorney General’s office who serves as the agency’s legal counsel.

WHO MUST LICENSE WITH THE ARKANSAS TOWING & RECOVERY BOARD

In general if you engage in towing and recovery within the State of Arkansas you must license your business and permit your tow vehicles with this agency.

A license may be obtained by complying with the requirements found in the statute for a tow business, completing the Business License Application and submitting the appropriate fees to the tow board.

A tow business must:

• Be at a location that is easily accessible to the public and located in Arkansas.
• Maintain a secure filing system for record keeping
• Display signage with the company name, physical address, telephone number(s) and hours of operation. Signs must be at least 4’x6’ or meet local building codes or sign ordinance standards.
• A 16”x20” sign posted in a pubic area notifying customers of the complaint process.
• Your maximum rate schedule must be posted in a conspicuous place.
• All vehicles must be stored in a manner that protects a customer’s vehicle and personal property while in the care and custody of the tow facility.

The permit process for a tow vehicle requires an inspection by a certified law enforcement officer. The Tow Vehicle Safety Equipment Inspection Form must be completed, signed by the law enforcement officer and the owner of the tow company. The appropriate fees must be paid to the agency before a permit is issued.

Once approved the appropriate decal must be placed on the windshield of the tow vehicle. Decals or permits may not be transferred from the tow vehicle to which it was issued.