State committee hearing highlights towing reform, calls for clearer notice, funding and complaint limits

Hartford — Lawmakers spent a long March hearing debating proposed reforms to Connecticut’s towing rules, focusing on consumer notice, how abandoned cars are handled, and how to compensate towers for complex, heavy-duty work.

The Department of Motor Vehicles told the Transportation Committee it supports a centralized online portal that would let vehicle owners locate towed cars and see auction notices. DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera said the portal should reduce confusion and speed redemption, but his staff and carriers said operational details — especially how fast information must be uploaded and who must do it after hours — remain unresolved.

“An online ‘find my vehicle’ tool is an important consumer protection, but the timing and process matter,” Guerrera said in testimony. DMV also described plans for clearer, itemized invoices and for updating how vehicles are handled at auction so owners have a fair chance to reclaim property before it is sold.

Tow companies and industry working groups asked lawmakers to adopt new rates that reflect the reality of police-ordered and heavy-duty tows. Several operators said hourly billing and new storage rates are…