Legislative Workshop and Hill Day
We are proud to inform you that our team worked hard to get our voices heard at the TRAA legislative workshop this past week. TRAA (Towing Recovery Association of America) represents the towing industry nationwide.
Tuesday began the preliminary workshop to discuss the multiple things our industry is working on to keep our businesses running in a fair competitive manner. There were approximately 70 members of TRAA, including four from the Pennsylvania Towing Association. These members were broken into groups lead by a team captain which then met with legislators from the states that the group represented.
There were four legislative priorities presented in these meetings:
- The opposition of proposed FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulation of rates for our industry.
- Over the years our industry has gained a reputation known as “predatory” and using alleged “junk fees”. This is a result of a small percentage of towing companies across the country that practice immorally and unethically. As Larry Minor, Associate Administratorfor Policy at FMCSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, stated best, we can’t let the bad overshadow the good. Along with multiple other industry colleagues nationwide, we are fighting to keep unification of fair business practices within our own state associations and without the involvement of either the FMCSA or the FTC.
- The continued efforts to improve the awareness of the Slow Down Move Over law.
- The detrimental impact of servicing electric vehicles including but not limited to, towing, recovery, storage and disposal.
- Opposition of the proposal to allow larger commercial vehicles on our roadways. This will increase deterioration of roadway infrastructures and add challenges for us to perform roadside service to them or recovering them.
On Thursday, we had post discussions from Wednesday’s Hill Day. We heard from each team captain on how their meetings went. They summarized what kind of feedback they received throughout the day and if they felt it was successful.
We ended our session with group roundtable discussions to compare our business experiences and brainstorm ideas. We continue our efforts to improve the towing industry standards and uphold the reputation of the industry as a whole.
This legislative workshop was productive and progress was made towards our goals as an association. The voices represented by the attendees let Congress know that we are here to be heard.
We will continue to update you with our progress. Thank you for your support by being a member of our association.
Karin Willis
Executive Director
(814) 548-6023