Reasonable and Customary– My Rear
Alabama, where the towing rules look neat on paper but play out like a country song about a truck, a heartbreak, and a bill you can’t afford. The state hands towing authority to licensed operators approved by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Sounds official, right? A shiny stamp of approval from the big dogs. But here’s the kicker: once ALEA blesses a towing company, they can tow your car as long as they keep their rates “reasonable and customary.”
And let’s just pause here...what does “reasonable” mean when the people writing the bill aren’t the ones standing in a gravel lot begging for their Camry back? In Alabama, “reasonable” is like ordering “sweet tea” and getting a gallon of syrup: perfectly normal to some, a diabetic nightmare to others. Spoiler alert: the one thing you’ll think isn’t reasonable is the final number at the bottom of that invoice.
So, when exactly can your car be towed in Alabama? That’s where the state takes a big ol’ shrug. “Not specified.” Yep, nothing in the rules tells you when towing is actually allowed. Which means your vehicle can be yanked from a parking lot faster than fried chicken disappears at a Sunday picnic. Maybe you were parked wrong, maybe the moon was in retrograde—either way, there’s no clear line in the sand.
What about notification requirements? Again, not specified. Don’t expect a polite heads-up like: “Howdy, neighbor, we borrowed your Ford F-150 for safekeeping. Come on down!” Nope. You’re more likely to learn your car’s gone when you’re standing in an empty space with your grocery bags cutting off circulation in your fingers.
Fees and charges? ALEA says they have to be “reasonable” (there’s that word again), but that’s about as comforting as being told your blind date is “nice.” Reasonable for who? Certainly not for the poor soul staring at a $300 tow bill for parking six inches over a faded white line.
Vehicle release rules? Not specified. Legal recourse? Also not specified. Translation: you’re standing in a foggy swamp of legal vagueness, while the towing operator is sitting in an air-conditioned office with your keys dangling on a hook.
Here’s the reality: Alabama’s towing regulations are a half-baked casserole, looks okay from a distance, but bite into it and you realize half the ingredients are missing. If your ride gets hauled away, arguing about what’s “reasonable and customary” is about as effective as yelling at humidity.
Your real lifeline? OUTPOUND.com. That’s the one place where you can untangle this mess, figure out where your car is being held, and get help navigating the kind of rules Alabama forgot to finish writing down. OUTPOUND doesn’t play “not specified.” They deal in answers, not shrugs.
Because in Alabama, the only thing more “customary” than barbecue is a tow bill that makes you choke on it. Don’t let them win. Let OUTPOUND fight back.
