FMCSA Seeks Trucker Comments on Unfair Commercial Vehicle Towing Fees

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking feedback from the trucking community on the transparency of commercial vehicle towing fees.

In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on July 1, FMCSA said it will extend the period for accepting written comments on the topic of commercial vehicle towing fees until August 1, 2024.

Officials previously called for public comment on “current industry practices regarding the disclosure of towing charges to commercial vehicle owners and whether the owner is informed of the costs and charges prior to towing” with a date limit set for July 1.

FMCSA elected to extend the comment period following a June 21 listening session in Washington, D.C., on the topic of towing fees, during which several participants asked the agency for more time to submit written comments.

To date, FMCSA has received only five public comments on the “Transparency of Fees Charged to Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operators for Towing and Recovery Services” submission.

Three of the five comments come from towing industry players, including the Towing and Recovery Association of America, which criticized FMCSA for arguing that “predatory” towing is widespread without conducting “any independent or government research to support the assertions made in the comment” or discussions with the towing and recovery industry.

TransGas Inc shared the following comment on the topic of predatory towing practices:

Our company had a breakdown on a city road (Revere, MA). The police called G/J Towing to tow our semi to Lowell, MA, a total of less than 30 miles for a cost of $1,400. Other towing companies have towed our vehicles similar distances for a cost of $500-$600. We had a towing company that would have gone to tow this vehicle, but G/J Towing got there first. We contacted G/J Towing and they said they charge $350/hour from the time the truck leaves their building until it returns. There is no reason why it should have taken a total of four hours for this to happen and the price is outrageous. In our opinion, this company took advantage of the situation because we had to pay them or they would not return our vehicle to us.

If you would like to share a public comment on the topic of towing fees, you can visit this link and click the “Comment” button to submit online.