PRIA Logo™
119-hr-7321119th CongressWALLET

Towing Safety Act

Sponsored By: Representative Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2]

In Committee

Summary

Clarifies federal rules on the size and weight of heavy-duty tow and recovery vehicles to limit when and how much they can carry. The bill redefines what counts as a covered tow operation, changes the weight measure to the combined gross vehicle weight rating, requires travel to stay within a single State for covered operations, and says axle weights and configurations must be safe for highway bridges as determined by the transportation agency with jurisdiction.

Show full summary
  • Tow and recovery operators will be measured by combined gross vehicle weight rating rather than gross vehicle weight and may face new caps on overall length and on how many vehicles they can haul when the towed combination complied with limits at the time and place of the incident.
  • State and local transportation agencies get explicit authority to decide whether axle weights and configurations can safely cross highway bridges along a tow route.
  • Emergency responders and vehicle owners get clearer scope for covered towing by defining covered operations to include responding to, returning from, or transporting a wrecked or disabled vehicle to the nearest appropriate repair facility or other location as directed by the agency with jurisdiction.

The bill amends Section 127(m)(2) of Title 23 and Section 31111 of Title 49 of the United States Code.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New rules for heavy tow operators

If enacted, this bill would change federal rules for heavy-duty tow and recovery vehicles. It would define a covered heavy-duty tow and recovery vehicle as any vehicle transporting a wrecked or disabled vehicle from where it became wrecked or disabled to the nearest repair facility or other location, as directed by an agency having jurisdiction. It would replace the measurement term “gross vehicle weight” with “combined gross vehicle weight rating.” Covered vehicles would have to travel within a single State and have axle weights and a configuration that the transportation agency of jurisdiction finds safe for highway bridges along the route. States or transportation agencies would be allowed to set overall length limits or limits on the number of vehicles being transported, but only when the towed combination complied with applicable length limits at the time and place of the initial wreck or disablement.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2]

OH • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation