National scope
National Pulse
FMCSA Motus Going Dark Tonight: Portal Permanently Retires at 8 p.m. ET, Then Four-Day System Gap Before Motus Goes Live
FMCSA's existing Portal, Unified Registration System, and L&I registration tools will be permanently retired tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, with Motus going live after an approximately four-day system gap for data migration and testing, according to CDLLife. FMCSA Director of the Office of Registration Ken Riddle warned that carriers whose Portal Company Official is wrong will be stuck on hold for manual identity verification before they can use Motus.
Operator takeaway: If your Portal Company Official is the wrong person on Monday, your registration changes get blocked at the new system and you spend the rest of the month on hold. Verify it tonight.
Brampton Arson Pattern Continues: Tow Truck Set Ablaze Sunday May 11 Between 2:45 and 4:45 a.m. Near Rutherford Road South and Orenda Road; No Suspects Named
Peel Regional Police are investigating another tow truck destroyed in a deliberately set overnight fire near Rutherford Road South and Orenda Road in Brampton between approximately 2:45 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Sunday, according to Brampton News. The article reports the fire was deliberately set and adds to an ongoing pattern of tow truck arsons in Peel Region this year; police have not released suspect information.
Operator takeaway: The pattern is now consistent enough that the question is when, not if, another GTA-area tow truck burns. Move every truck inside tonight, confirm motion-detection lighting works, and document the next 30 days of yard activity for your insurance carrier.
Garzez Trial Begins in Harlingen This Week in Death of Tow Operator David Zapata; Indictment Adds Fentanyl Possession Charge
Cristobal Stephan Garzez of Donna faced a jury beginning Monday May 11 in the death of 46-year-old tow operator David Zapata, struck on the expressway in Harlingen on July 8, 2025, according to KRGV and Valley Central. Garzez is charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, manslaughter, and possession of a controlled substance. The new indictment alleges the controlled substance to be fentanyl.
Operator takeaway: The Harlingen trial is the second high-profile Texas roadside-worker prosecution in the same window as the Pierre Innocent case in New Jersey. Track the verdict; the operator audience will read it the way they read the Thornton conviction.
Cleveland Mom Samaria Holt Says Wrecked Car Was Looted Inside Kufner Towing Lot After Hit-and-Run; Tow Company Fired the Driver and Cleveland Police Opened a Report
Samaria Holt told Hoodline and News5Cleveland that she left her wallet, phone, and her three-year-old son's car seat in her car after a hit-and-run near East 79th Street and St. Clair Avenue, and discovered the stereo and other belongings missing after the vehicle was towed to Kufner Towing's lot. Kufner's manager told investigators the tow driver handed the phone over and was subsequently fired; Cleveland Division of Police opened a report and Holt described the vehicle as "completely rummaged."
Operator takeaway: Yard inventory protocol exists for exactly this reason. Document the contents of every customer vehicle on intake with a phone photo; the procedural cost is two minutes and the liability cost of skipping it is whatever Samaria Holt's car contained.
Florida: Torey Eugene Williams, 46, of Miramar Arrested May 7 in Two October Armed Confrontations With Repo Crews Over the Same Lexus GS; Round Was Fired Into a Tow Truck
Authorities arrested Torey Eugene Williams, 46, of Miramar on May 7 following two October armed confrontations with repossession crews attempting to recover his Lexus GS, according to Local 10. Court documents quote Williams telling police he came out with his gun and instructed the driver to "put my muthaf---ing car down"; surveillance footage reportedly shows Williams turning toward the tow truck and operator when the firearm discharged. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault for the October 10 Davie incident and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile into a vehicle for the October 15 Miramar incident, held on a $5,000 bond.
Operator takeaway: The Williams case is the operator-safety case study for repo dispatch policy. Two encounters with the same Lexus, the second one with a round fired into the tow truck. Brief every repo driver this week on disengage-and-call-police before the next recovery.
North Carolina Launches Statewide Move Over Enforcement Campaign May 12 Through May 18; Governor's Highway Safety Program and State Highway Patrol Coordinate
The North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program and law enforcement agencies launched a statewide enforcement campaign for the state's Move Over law running May 12 through May 18, according to CMG Plus and WCTI 12. The campaign emphasizes that drivers must slow down and change lanes when approaching emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and other roadside workers with active warning lights or hazards.
Operator takeaway: If you operate in North Carolina, the next six days are the most aggressive Move Over enforcement window of the year. Send a copy of the campaign notice to every driver and remind motorists in your customer-facing newsletter.
Pierre Innocent Released on Level Two Pretrial Supervision After Reckless Vehicular Homicide Charges in I-287 Death of Tow Operator Daniel "DJ" Ortiz; Conditions Include Surrendering Passport and Driving Ban
Pierre Innocent, 54, of Orange was charged on May 6 with second-degree reckless vehicular homicide under Eileen's Law in the July 2025 death of Daniel "DJ" Ortiz, 24, who was loading a disabled Honda on the I-287 South shoulder for Ron and Sons Towing when he was struck by a 2019 Jeep Cherokee, according to Daily Voice citing the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Innocent was released under Level Two pretrial supervision with conditions including surrendering his passport, signing a waiver of extradition, no driving during pretrial release, and no contact with the victim's next-of-kin; no return court date has been set.
Operator takeaway: The defendant in the first Eileen's Law roadside-worker prosecution is out of jail until trial. Print this and post it in dispatch alongside Move Over briefings.
Maryland Tow Operator Keith Rhew, 45, Killed in Work Accident April 3; GoFundMe for Wife and Two Young Children Has Raised More Than $28,000
Keith Allen Rhew, 45, died on Friday April 3 following a work-related accident; he is survived by his wife and two young children, Luke (fifth grade) and Olivia (first grade), according to Daily Voice. A memorial fundraiser has raised more than $28,000 toward a $30,000 goal to help cover funeral expenses and family support; services were held at Bel Air Church of the Nazarene on April 10.
Operator takeaway: Workplace fatalities at tow operations rarely make national wires. Read this entry, pin the fundraiser link on your dispatch board, and tell your crew that workplace fatalities at recovery jobs are why every yard procedure exists.
Chicago: DPW Trucking's $46,000 Tow Bill From Official Towing Drops to $5,000 After WGN News Visit; Bridge Strike on South Kilpatrick in Oak Lawn
DPW Trucking owner Kristin Crawford told CDLLife the company received an initial tow quote "of a few thousand dollars" after a viaduct strike in the 9200 block of South Kilpatrick in Oak Lawn, which then escalated to $46,000 from Official Towing. Following WGN News contact and an on-site visit, Official Towing's owner agreed to release the truck for $5,000.
Operator takeaway: Honest operators take a hit every time a bill like this hits the news. Document your invoice methodology, post your rate schedule visibly at the yard, and be ready to defend every line item if a customer escalates to local media.
EIA: National On-Highway Diesel Holds at $5.639 for Week Ending May 11; Effectively Flat From the Prior Week's $5.640
The EIA national on-highway diesel weekly average held at $5.639 per gallon for the week ending May 11, essentially unchanged from $5.640 the prior week, according to EIA data. The flat read suggests last week's 29-cent jump has settled rather than continued climbing, but the underlying volatility tied to U.S.-Iran talks and Hormuz traffic remains in the market.
Operator takeaway: If your fuel surcharge clause is indexed to a published EIA benchmark, the math handled itself this week. If it is not, you absorbed last week's 29 cents and are not getting it back. Re-index now.
Mississauga: Two Tow Truck Drivers Charged With Dangerous Operation After Trucks Caught on Camera Racing Through an Active Police Collision Scene, Mounting a Curb, and Fleeing
Abdulaziz Omar and Bilal Nofal, both 30 of Mississauga, are charged with seven offenses each, including dangerous operation, failure to stop after an accident, flight from a peace officer, performing a stunt while driving, and engaging in prohibited tow truck practices, after their trucks collided through a December 18, 2025 police collision scene at Mavis Road and The Queensway, mounted a curb, struck a vehicle from the original collision, and left, according to CP24 reporting May 5 on Peel Police charges. A police officer at the scene radioed "I got two tows that just crashed through the scene and are now failing to remain."
Operator takeaway: El Paso just made wreck-chasing a $500 misdemeanor. Mississauga shows what happens when operators do it anyway. Use both in your next driver meeting.
El Paso City Council Bans Tow Truck Solicitation at Crash Scenes; First-Time Violations Are a Class C Misdemeanor With Up to $500 in Fines, Effective June 1
The El Paso City Council voted 6-2 on April 28 to bar tow operators from soliciting business at crash scenes unless contacted by police, the vehicle owner, the driver, or the insurance company, and from entering accident scenes under police control without permission, soliciting on public streets and sidewalks, or using third parties to approach drivers, according to KVIA. First-time violations are a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $500; Executive Assistant Chief Victor Zarur said "this ordinance does just strictly forbid anyone from soliciting out in the roadway for towing business," with enforcement training and public outreach planned before the June 1 effective date.
Operator takeaway: Texas operators outside El Paso should expect copycat ordinances. Review your post-crash dispatch policy this week and brief every driver.
Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica Win 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting With "On the Hook" Towing Industry Investigation
The Pulitzer Board announced on May 4 that Dave Altimari and Ginny Monk of The Connecticut Mirror and Sophie Chou and Haru Coryne of ProPublica won the 2026 Pulitzer for Local Reporting for "On the Hook," which the citation describes as exposing what it calls lax standards and harmful business practices in the towing industry, according to CT Mirror. The reporting drove an overhaul of Connecticut's century-old towing statutes in May 2025 and additional reforms in April-May 2026.
Operator takeaway: A Pulitzer Prize for an investigation into our industry sets the template every other state newsroom is going to copy. Read what won so you can see your own operation through that reporter's lens before they show up in your market.
Towing and Recovery Management Summit Convenes at The Brown Palace in Denver Today Through May 15; Tow Times-Hosted, Owners-and-Managers Only
The 12th Annual Towing and Recovery Management Summit opened today at The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver and runs through May 15, hosted by Tow Times magazine and limited to tow company owners and decision-making managers, according to EIN Presswire and Tow Times. Sessions cover operations, technology, and industry strategy; early-bird registration closed February 28 at $1,199 per attendee.
Operator takeaway: If your owner is at the Summit this week, ask them to bring back the conference notes on insurance underwriting, AI dispatch, and the wreck-chasing ordinance wave. If your owner is not at the Summit, ask why.
Compliance Calendar
Two Federal Deadlines This Week, Plus a North Carolina Enforcement Window That Started Yesterday
- Today through Thursday: CVSA International Roadcheck final two days. Day 1 generated 1,580 inspections, 2,637 violations, and 496 out-of-service orders (31.4 percent OOS rate). Driver focus is ELD tampering; vehicle focus is cargo securement; FMCSA Clearinghouse queries added for 2026.
- Tonight 8 p.m. ET: FMCSA Portal, URS, and L&I retire permanently. Approximately four-day system gap follows for data migration. Only your existing FMCSA Portal Company Official with the matching Login.gov email can claim the Motus account first. Confirm before the deadline.
- Through Sunday May 18: North Carolina statewide Move Over enforcement campaign coordinated by the Governor's Highway Safety Program and law enforcement agencies. If you operate in NC, send the notice to every driver tonight.
- June 1: El Paso wreck-chasing ban takes effect. Class C misdemeanor with up to $500 in fines for soliciting at crash scenes without authorization. Texas operators in other municipalities should expect copycats.
Operator Litigation
Three Cases Worth Watching This Week
- Texas: Cristobal Stephan Garzez began trial in Harlingen May 11 in the death of tow operator David Zapata. Charges include intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, manslaughter, and possession of a controlled substance with the new indictment alleging fentanyl.
- New Jersey: Pierre Innocent, charged May 6 under Eileen's Law in the I-287 death of tow operator DJ Ortiz, was released on Level Two pretrial supervision with passport surrender and driving ban. The first roadside-worker test of Eileen's Law moves into pretrial.
- Florida: Torey Eugene Williams, 46, of Miramar arrested May 7 for two October armed confrontations with repo crews over the same Lexus GS; one round was fired into a tow truck. Held on $5,000 bond.
- Connecticut: CT Mirror and ProPublica won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for the "On the Hook" series. The reporting drove an overhaul of Connecticut's century-old towing statutes; other states are watching.