The dog days of summer have been an active period for the towing industry – if not an unprecedented one. Following the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) public hearing at the end of June, the agency held the public record open until August 1st to allow interested parties to submit comments for the record. TRAA would like to thank the following 18 state associations for submitting comments:

• California
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Montana
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of this level of engagement. A few short years ago, TRAA and the towing industry had a small and sporadic engagement with policy makers in Washington DC. Today, we have a large and growing annual fly-in, had robust industry engagement at the public hearing and in comments submitted, and consistent follow up with Congressional offices. TRAA is leveraging your engagement to reach out to your Congressional offices to make sure they are aware of the submitted comments.

This level of engagement has already shown successes. In their public comments the American Trucking Association (ATA) supported TRAA’s suggestion of a FMCSA task force:

“It is ATA’s understanding that the Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc. (TRAA) has encouraged the creation of a Tow Services Transparency Task Force (TSTTF). The TRAA likens the TSTTF to the USDOT’s Truck Leasing Task Force (TLTF), which consists of members representing commercial motor carriers, owner-operators, consumer protection groups, attorneys, and other stakeholders in the trucking leasing industry. ATA supports the creation of and would welcome participation in such a task force. ATA does agree that the involvement of the USDOT and/or the FMCSA in a task force would be worthwhile and would assist in identifying areas of common ground among the stakeholders and best practices to assist commercial motor carriers, truck drivers, and T&R Companies in navigating the nonconsensual tow and recovery process.”

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) also supported the idea and wants to participate. Simply put, TRAA is leading the way.

We are hearing that the final “Junk Fee” Rule could be released as early as this month. And while the fight is an uphill battle, we continue to engage with the FTC and our friends in Congress on the issue.

And while this has been our focus, we continue to engage on other issues that impact the industry. Earlier this month, TRAA learned through our partners on the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) that Representatives Dusty Johnson and Jim Costa distributed an electronic “Dear Colleague Letter” asking House members to sign a letter addressed to Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries asking them to support bringing H.R. 3372 (the “Pilot Project” to allow for larger trucks) to the floor for a vote. TRAA is against the bill and, along with our partners in opposition to this effort, will continue following-up with T&I member offices in the coming weeks.

We will continue to advocate on behalf of the industry as it relates to the “Junk Fee” Rule and beyond and keep you apprised of any significant developments. Please do not hesitate to contact TRAA with any questions. 

Sincerely,

David J. Garriepy

Vice President, Government Affairs

Tremont Strategies Group (TSG)