One missed notice can wipe out storage fees, restart a lien clock, or invite a fight you never had time for. We sit down with Matt Harvey from Auto Data Direct and Stephen Holloway from their government affairs team to unpack the unglamorous part of towing and recovery that decides whether you get paid: accurate vehicle data, compliant owner and lienholder notifications, and a workflow you can trust when you’re busy running calls.

We break down how ADD supports towing businesses with tools like DMV123, which pulls real time owner and lienholder records from dozens of jurisdictions. We talk about why “real time” is not just a buzzword, how stale batch data can create legal exposure, and how automating certified mail letters and tracking can turn paperwork into a repeatable process instead of a daily scramble. If you operate across state lines, manage impounds, or handle lien sales, the practical details here matter.

Then we zoom out to the bigger picture: what we saw at the TRAA Hill Day, why advocacy is essential for a family run industry, and how towers can share state level wins without reinventing the wheel. Finally, we dig into the Florida model for modernization: third party certified mail options and replacing expensive newspaper notices with online posting that matches how people actually search today. Subscribe for more towing industry insights, share this with a tow owner who lives in paperwork, and leave a review with your biggest compliance challenge so we can cover it next.