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Last summer, Americans traded in over 675,000 vehicles as part of the CARS Program, or Cash for Clunkers, as it became popularly known. The federal stimulus program lured buyers into dealerships nationwide, but it was after the much-publicized program officially ended that the real work began for the automotive recycling industry.

This year the Professional Wreckers of Florida (PWOF) International Tow Show was held in Orlando, Florida, at the Hilton located in Downtown Disney from Thursday, April 15 to Sunday April 18, 2010. I have been with Auto Data Direct since September 2009, and this was my first chance to attend one of these events. It was to my benefit that I attended the conference with ADD’s President, Director of Operations and head of Customer Service, who have varied knowledge and experience with the towing industry. The experience with customers and co-workers was both educational and enjoyable, and allowed me to see all the services, products, and companies involved with the towing industry. I was overwhelmed by the number of vendors and guests who attended, and impressed with the sponsored activities, exhibits, and demonstrations.

Working in the towing industry for more than 30 years has taught Jane Fleming, co-owner of Fleming Salvage and Wrecker Service in Panama City, Florida, just how valuable access to a vehicle’s history can be. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) gives businesses and consumers access to vehicle histories at a low cost. “We get cars from many states here in the panhandle, and having access to NMVTIS through Auto Data Direct is a must-have for me,” says Fleming. “I use it every day and couldn’t do my job without it.”

As of February 12, 2010, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is sending dealer license renewal notices to auto independent, wholesale, auction and salvage dealers via email, rather than through the US Postal Service. By communicating with license holders by email, the DHSMV will save approximately $5,000 in taxpayer money over the renewal period.

A new law offers Florida buy-here pay-here dealers another recovery option when a standard repossession attempt fails. Often, dealers are unable to retrieve vehicles because they cannot locate a delinquent customer or the customer conceals a vehicle in an effort to avoid its repossession. Now dealers have the support of House Bill 293, which was signed into Florida law in 2009 [FS 320.02(17), 320.03(8) and 319.27]. Under the new law, buy-here pay-here dealers can prevent customers who are behind in their payments from registering or renewing any vehicles until the vehicle with the unpaid account is surrendered.