The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking comments from the trucking industry on transparency in towing fees for commercial vehicles.
In an announcement that will be published in the Federal Register, on July 1, FMCSA announced that it would extend the period of accepting written comments about the topic of towing fees for commercial vehicles until August 1, 2024.
Officials had previously asked for public comments on “current industry practice regarding the disclosure to commercial motor vehicle owners of towing fees and whether they are made aware of the costs and fees before the tow”. The deadline was July 1.
The FMCSA decided to extend the comment period after a June 21, Washington, D.C., listening session on the topic tow fees, during which several participants asked the agency for additional time to submit written remarks.
The FMCSA has received only five public comments so far on the “Transparency of Fees Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators (CMV) are Charged for Towing and Recovery Services Docket”.
Three of the five comments are from stakeholders in the towing industry, including the Towing and Recovery Association of America. They criticize the FMCSA’s argument that “predatory towing” is widespread, without “any independent or federal research to support claims made in the comment, or discussions with towing and recovery industries.”
TransGas Inc made the following comment about predatory towing:
Our company had a break down on a city road (Revere MA). G/J Towing was called by the police to tow our tractor-trailer back to Lowell Ma, a distance of less than 30miles, at a cost $1,400. Other towing companies have towed our vehicles for $500-600 from similar distances. G/J Towing was the first to arrive. We had a company that would have town this vehicle, but they were not able to. G/J Towing told us that they charge $350/hr for the period between the time the truck leaves the building and the time it returns. The price is outrageous and there is no way this could have taken four hours. This company, in our opinion, took advantage of us because we had to pay or they wouldn’t release our vehicle.
You can submit your online comment about towing fees by clicking on this link.