What's happening
This bill raises the minimum required gross vehicle weight rating for tow trucks in New York from 8,600 to 10,000 pounds.
Why it matters
Increases safety standards. by ensuring only larger, more robust vehicles (with a minimum gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds) can operate as tow trucks, which may better handle the demands of towing and reduce risks on the road.
Potentially raises operational costs. for small towing businesses or operators who currently use lighter vehicles, as they would need to upgrade their fleets to comply with the new requirement.
May limit the number of eligible tow trucks. , affecting response times in some areas, especially rural or less densely populated regions where lighter trucks are more common.
Aligns with evolving vehicle sizes and towing needs. , reflecting that modern vehicles being towed (such as SUVs and trucks) are heavier, necessitating stronger tow trucks for safe and effective service.
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Who cares
Commercial towing companies
The bill would raise the minimum gross vehicle weight rating for tow truck registration from 8,600 to 10,000 pounds, excluding lighter vehicles from registration.
Owners of tow trucks rated below 10,000 pounds
They could not register those vehicles as tow trucks under the new threshold, while commercial towing without the required registration would remain a class A misdemeanor.
State vehicle registration officials
They would need to apply the higher weight-rating threshold beginning 180 days after the bill becomes law.
Headline styles
Raise Tow Truck Weight Limit
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Raise Tow Truck Weight Minimum
In Senate Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Andrew J. Lanza
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3347
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CRESPO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the registered weight of tow trucks
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 401-b of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 552 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
§ 401-b. Registration of tow trucks. Every motor vehicle engaged in commercial towing in this state shall be registered and identified as a tow truck, as hereinafter provided. No motor vehicle shall be registered as a tow truck unless it shall have a gross vehicle weight rating of at least [eighty-six hundred] ten thousand pounds and the application for such registration is accompanied by proof of financial security which shall meet the requirements of article six of this chapter. Upon payment of the fees set forth in schedule H of subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this article, such a motor vehicle shall be issued a license plate identifying it as a "tow truck". It shall constitute a class A misdemeanor to engage in commercial towing with a tow truck that is not registered pursuant to this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08170-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.