How to Sell a Truck
Without a Title
in Arkansas
Lost title. Never had one. Stuck in probate. Bank-of-Grandpa paperwork. We’re an Arkansas truck buyer operating statewide since 2026 — we walk you through the bonded-title route, write the bill of sale on the hood, and hand you cash the same day. Walk-ins welcome at 212 N Broadview St, Greenbrier.
Free statewide pickup · Mon–Sat 7a–6p
First: Why Selling a Titleless Truck in Arkansas Is Such a Headache
Arkansas Code §27-14-705 requires a Certificate of Title to transfer ownership of any motor vehicle — pickups, diesel duallies, dump trucks, box trucks, semis, the whole list. The Office of Motor Vehicle (OMV) at the Arkansas DFA isn’t flexible on that point at the DMV counter. So when a private buyer on Facebook Marketplace sees “no title,” they bolt. That’s why a perfectly good (or perfectly dead) truck sits behind your shop in Conway, Cabot, or Bryant for two years draining property value.
The state actually offers two legal paths around a missing title — the duplicate title (if you’re the last titled owner) and the bonded title (if you bought it without paperwork, inherited it, or pulled it from a fence-row). Both work. Both take 4–10 weeks if you do it yourself. Or you sign a notarized bill of sale to us today and we run the bond on our end. That’s the entire trick.
The Five Reasons Arkansas Trucks End Up Title-less
In ten years of buying trucks across Faulkner, Pulaski, White, and Saline counties, the same handful of stories show up over and over. Knowing which bucket your truck falls into determines which form you need.
Lost in the move
Title was in the glovebox, the truck broke down behind the barn in 2018, the glovebox got mice. Fix: Form 10-381 Duplicate Title if you’re the last titled owner.
Bought it with a bill of sale
Cousin sold you the F-250 for $800 cash, never signed a title. You’re not the recorded owner. Fix: Arkansas bonded title via Form 10-3815.
Inherited / Estate
Dad passed, the Silverado is in the shop yard, the will hasn’t cleared probate. Fix: small-estate affidavit or executor letter + bonded title.
Wrecked & insurance paid
Total-loss check cashed but you kept the truck (“owner-retained”). Insurer should have issued a salvage title — sometimes they didn’t. We handle that conversation.
Storm or fire damage
2026 spring tornados across Central Arkansas left dozens of dump trucks and skid steers with paperwork blown halfway to Tennessee. See our storm-damaged truck buyer page.
The Arkansas Bonded-Title Route, in Plain English
A bonded title is a regular Arkansas Certificate of Title with a 3-year “surety bond” brand. It says: if anybody crawls out of the woodwork in the next 36 months claiming they owned this truck, the bond company will pay them. After year 3, the brand disappears and you have a clean title.
The DFA wants four things: (1) Form 10-3815 (Affidavit for Bonded Title), (2) a VIN inspection by Arkansas State Police or a designated officer, (3) a surety bond equal to 1.5× the appraised value of the truck (we get appraisals daily — usually $100–$250 in premium), and (4) the standard Form 10-381 title application with your $10 fee. You don’t do any of that when you sell to us — we do.
See Our No-Title Help Page →No Title → Cash in Hand in 4 Steps
Call or Text Photos
Dial (501) 470-8800 or send 4 photos (VIN plate, all four corners) to [email protected]. Tell us your county and how you came to own the truck.
Firm Cash Offer in Under 30 Minutes
We pull the VIN, check it against NMVTIS for liens/theft, factor in our bonding cost, and quote you a real number — not a “starting at”.
We Roll Up With Cash & Paperwork
Our rollback or lowboy meets you anywhere in Arkansas. You sign a notarized bill of sale + odometer disclosure. We hand you cash (up to $5K) or wire/Zelle/cashier’s check above that.
We Run the Bond — You’re Done
We file the bonded-title app with DFA in our name, eat the bond premium and VIN-inspection fees, and notify the OMV that the plate is surrendered. Your liability ends the moment we drive off your property.
DIY Bonded Title vs. Selling to Us — Real Numbers
If your truck has real resale value (a clean 2018 Ram 2500 worth $25K), running the bond yourself can be worth it. If it’s a tired 2004 F-350 worth $2,400 as scrap-plus-parts, the math flips fast. Here’s the apples-to-apples breakdown on a typical Faulkner County junk pickup:
| Cost / Time | DIY Bonded Title | Sell to AR Junk Truck Buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Surety bond premium (1.5× appraised value) | $100–$250 | $0 — we pay it |
| VIN inspection by Arkansas State Police | $7 + drive time | $0 — we coordinate |
| Title fee + sales tax + reg. | ~$10 + 6.5% AR sales tax | $0 |
| Hauling the dead truck to DFA | $150–$400 rollback rental | $0 — free pickup |
| DFA processing time | 4–10 weeks | Same day — you’re paid before paperwork files |
| Risk if a prior owner surfaces | Your bond pays them | Not your problem — we own the bond |
Rough rule we use ourselves: if your truck is worth less than $6,000 retail or it’s non-running, DIY almost never beats selling to a buyer who already eats the bonding cost as overhead.
Paperwork We Bring to Your Driveway
When our driver pulls up in Conway, Cabot, Searcy, Benton, or anywhere else in Arkansas, the folder on the dash has every form pre-filled with our company info. You read it, sign it, get paid. That’s the whole transaction.
- Notarized Bill of Sale — with VIN, odometer, sale price, and your driver’s license number. Our driver is a commissioned mobile notary.
- Odometer Disclosure — federal law requires it for any vehicle under 20 years old.
- Buyer’s Affidavit of No Title — the statement we’ll attach to the bonded-title app.
- Plate Surrender Note — so you can take your plate to a Revenue Office and stop being on the hook for property tax.
- Receipt + photo of the cash hand-off — for your records and ours.
Edge Cases We Buy Every Week (You’re Not Alone)
If your situation sounds “weird,” trust us — we’ve probably written that exact bonded-title affidavit twice this month.
Mechanic’s lien truck
Customer abandoned a diesel at your shop in North Little Rock 14 months ago. We help you file the AR mechanic’s-lien sale paperwork and buy the truck out of it.
Out-of-state title, never registered in AR
Moved from Texas with a TX title, lost it before you could transfer? We’ll work the duplicate request with the issuing state or take it on the bond.
VIN-tag missing or unreadable
We pull the secondary VIN from the door jamb, frame rail, or engine block and request a State Police VIN verification at the inspection.
Heavy equipment / no title required
Arkansas doesn’t title most off-road heavy iron (excavators, dozers, skid steers). A bill of sale + serial number is all we need. See Sell Heavy Equipment.
Blown-engine pickup behind a barn
Doesn’t run, doesn’t roll, hasn’t moved since 2019. We bring the lowboy. See our blown-engine truck buyer page.
Fleet wind-down, mixed paperwork
Six dump trucks, three with titles, three without. We take the whole lot. See Fleet & Bulk Buyouts.
Three Things to Do Before You Call
A. Photograph the VIN plate
Driver’s-side dash through the windshield. We need all 17 characters legible — that’s how we run the lien check.
B. Write down the story
When did you get it, who did you get it from, was money exchanged, do you have anything in writing? That’s the affidavit narrative.
C. Check for an active lien
If you still owe a bank, the bank holds the title. Bonded titles can’t override an active lien. Call the lender first — we’ll coach you on the payoff conversation if you need it.
Frequently Asked: Titleless Trucks in Arkansas
Is it legal to sell a truck in Arkansas without a title?
Yes — if both parties sign a notarized bill of sale and the buyer accepts responsibility for the bonded-title application. We do that every day. What’s not legal is transferring a title you don’t hold or forging a signature on the back of a found title. We’ll never ask you to do either.
Will you pay less because there’s no title?
A little — our offer absorbs the bond premium (typically $100–$250) and our admin time on the DFA paperwork. On a $2,500 junk pickup that might mean a $200 reduction. On a $25,000 running 1-ton it’s noise. We tell you the breakdown when we quote.
What if the truck was my late father’s?
Arkansas allows a Small Estate Affidavit (estates under $100K, 45 days after death) to transfer titles without full probate. If the truck is the only asset over the threshold, the executor letter works. We’ll walk you through which one fits.
Do you really come all the way to Texarkana or Jonesboro?
Yes — we’re statewide across all 75 counties. Jonesboro, Texarkana, Fort Smith, Fayetteville. Pickup is free; we plan two trucks east, two trucks west most weeks.
What if I find the title next week after I’ve already sold to you?
Mail it to us at 212 N Broadview St, Greenbrier, AR 72058. We’ll cancel the bond, save the premium, and the title goes into the truck’s file. No clawback, no “we owe you money” nonsense — the deal is the deal.
Stop Staring at That Truck.
Get Paid This Week.
From a no-title farm pickup in Greenbrier to a fleet of unpapered dump trucks in North Little Rock — we make it boring, fast, and legal. Cash on the spot up to $5,000, wire or cashier’s check above that. Free pickup statewide. Walk-ins welcome Mon–Sat at 212 N Broadview St, Greenbrier, AR 72058. Sundays by appointment.