Towing Issues: property owned by others, in a towed Semi Trailer, household belongings, tow yard

Question
we had a truck pick up our cargo, things went bad, the driver was arrested and it appears that the trailer was stolen property. No one knows who really owns the trailer. Meanwhile, our customers cargo is on the trailer and the tow yard will not release it. This is NC. Can the tow yard hold property that does not belong to the owner of the tractor or trailer?

Answer
the basic problem is that it is hard to establish ownership of property - cargo in many cases without good paperwork.

Bills of lading sometimes will list what the property is and who owns it but other times it is listed as household belongings.


Check with the agency which had the vehicle towed. They might be of great help getting the property released or at least establishing ownership of it.

The tow company is allowed to hold the vehicle and property as that is the only way to be assured that they get paid for services rendered.

Sorry that this is not the answer you were not looking for.