What's happening
This bill raises the minimum gross vehicle weight required for tow trucks to be registered in New York from 8,600 to 10,000 pounds.
Why it matters
Limits registration to larger, heavier-duty tow trucks. By raising the minimum weight, only trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 10,000 pounds will qualify, excluding lighter vehicles that previously could be registered as tow trucks.
May impact smaller towing businesses. Operators with lighter, less expensive trucks (8,600–9,999 pounds) would no longer qualify for tow truck registration, potentially affecting their ability to operate legally.
Could improve road safety and towing capability. Heavier trucks are typically better equipped to safely tow a wider range of vehicles, reducing risks associated with inadequate towing equipment.
Imposes higher entry costs. Prospective towing businesses may face greater upfront costs, as larger trucks are generally more expensive to purchase and maintain, potentially reducing competition or service availability in some areas.
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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, limiting which vehicles they could use for commercial towing.
Owners of tow trucks rated below 10,000 pounds
Vehicles rated from 8,600 to 9,999 pounds would no longer meet the statutory weight requirement for tow truck registration.
Motor vehicle registration officials
They would have to apply the higher weight threshold beginning 180 days after the bill becomes law.
Headline styles
Raise Tow Truck Weight Minimum
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 Limit
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Marcos Crespo
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5260
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 17, 2017
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed 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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the regis- tered weight of tow trucks
Purpose or general idea of bill
To increase the minimum weight of a tow truck from 8,600 pounds GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) to 10,000 pounds GVWR
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Amends section 401-b of the vehicle and traffic law to increase the minimum GVWR of a tow truck from 8,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds.
Section 2. This act shall take effect 180 days after enactment.
Justification
The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of a vehicle is the manufactur- er's design capacity for the weight of a vehicle and its heaviest load. It is unsafe to tow motor vehicles with a tow truck that has a GVWR less than 10,000 pounds because the weight of most towed vehicles will cause the front axle weight of the tow truck to be reduced by more than fifty percent. Such a reduction in weight will compromise the braking and steering capacity of the tow truck.
Although most light duty tow trucks have a GVWR of between 13,000 and 15,000 pounds, this bill recognizes that there are circumstances in which a lighter tow truck may be utilized in a safe manner. The intent of the bill is to outlaw a large number of so-called "chase trucks", which are light duty pickup trucks with hidden towing booms that race to accident scenes. These trucks are built for speed- not safety. They present serious hazards the motoring public and pedestrians, particular- ly in many sections of New York City.
Legislative history
2017: S.5260 - Referred to Transportation / A.3347 - Referred to Trans- portation 2016: S.5823-A - 3rd Reading Calendar / A.7272 - Referred to Transporta- tion. 2015: S.5823-A - Referred to Transportation / A.7272 - Referred to Transportation.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect 180 days after enactment.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.