An injustice done to towing companies will be righted with a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, and now part of the omnibus highway bill that was expected to pass the United States House of Representatives Thursday.
Currently, large tow trucks dispatched to clear an interstate wreck involving a tractor trailer truck or to remove a broken down heavy vehicle like a dump truck may pick up thousands of dollars in fines if they are over the federal highway weight limit while hauling away the truck in question.
The Fair Tow Act would allow the tow trucks to exceed the weight limit when they tow the trucks away from an accident or emergency not for long stretches of road but to the nearest repair center.
Fleischmann introduced the bill after a request from Ooltewah-based Miller Industries, a manufacturer of tow trucks and equipment that is well recognized within the industry.
The third-term congressman said the bill both eliminates any hesitancy wrecker companies might have - because of potential fines - about responding to an interstate incident and may incentivize smaller tow operators to invest in heavy equipment where they might not have before because of potential fines.
We believe this is a bill that makes sense in an era when the tractor-trailer trucks and equipment on the highway are getting heavier and heavier and require heavier towing apparatus to move them out of harm's way. Yet, the towing companies shouldn't be fined for helping make the roads safer. We commend U.S. Rep. Fleischmann for seeing the bill through.