News in 2011

The Department of Justice has released information on its enforcement activities for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Since 2009, businesses that deal in junk, salvage or total loss vehicles have been required to report information on those vehicles to the national database. NMVTIS information is available to states, law enforcement and the public.

According to the article, National Motor Vehicle Title Information System Provides Crucial Support in Combating Vehicle-Related Crime, which was published on vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov, enforcement efforts include:

• Outreach – BJA undertook a major NMVTIS education campaign with mass mailings for the junk/salvage/recycler and insurance industries. In 2010, over 20,000 letters were sent to NMVTIS reporting entities. This was followed by a targeted mailing to auto insurance underwriters across the country. BJA will continue these efforts, including targeted outreach to the towing and used automobile industries, and other sectors that process junk and salvage vehicles. Regardless of which industry a company may operate, if that company is in the business of owning or acquiring five or more junk or salvage vehicles per year for resale (in their entirety or for spare parts), rebuilding, restoration, or crushing, it is required to report to NMVTIS.
• Site Visits – On-site inspections of junk/salvage/recycler facilities have occurred in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In addition, BJA continues to coordinate with NHTSA inspectors from across the country to facilitate enforcement of NMVTIS reporting in all 50 states.
• Office-based Monitoring – NMVTIS records are regularly monitored to identify nonreporting entities. This includes reviewing auction and insurance industry submissions to determine which businesses have not submitted timely reports. Once identified, nonreporting businesses are contacted by phone and a 30-day nonreporting notice is mailed. If the required NMVTIS entries are not made in a timely manner, civil penalties are pursued. To date, nonreporting notices have been sent to businesses in 30 states and these efforts resulted in approximately 100,000 additional vehicles being reported to NMVTIS.
• Nonreporting Referrals – A nonreporting referral process has been developed to enable the general public to use the NMVTIS web site to send confidential e-mails concerning nonreporting companies. Referrals are reviewed and, if necessary, appropriate follow up enforcement actions taken. To date, BJA has over 100 active referrals in 23 states.

The article goes on to explain that non-reporting is punishable by up to $1000 fine per non-reported vehicle, and that anyone who wishes to report a non-compliant business may e-mail [nmvtis@usdoj.gov](mailto:nmvtis@usdoj.gov?subject=Non-reporting Referral) and include “Non-reporting Referral” in the subject line of the message.

Read the full article:

National Motor Vehicle Title Information System Provides Crucial Support in Combating Vehicle-RelatedCrime

For more information on NMVTIS reporting, contact ADD at [info@add123.com](mailto:info@add123.com?subject=NMVTIS reporting). Details on ADD’s reporting program and industry-specific solutions are available at ADD’s website. Read more about Salvage Reporting, Insurance Reporting or Towing Company Reporting.