Tow truck drivers face the most significant hazard yet – and it’s not a road hazard.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations call for phasing out gas and diesel engines and replacing them with electric engines, even though truck manufacturers have not developed electric alternatives to meet a tow truck’s range, performance and safety standards.
Since California’s passage of the ACT and the Omnibus regulations, ten other states adopted the same regulations. That was then, not now. Today, there is a movement in every ACT state to exempt towing and recovery trucks from regulations that threaten the livelihood of tow truck and recovery drivers, small businesses and the safety of motorists.
Towing and recovery truck drivers place the safety of motorists first by providing reliable roadside assistance 24/7, supporting first responders, and clearing road accidents or mechanical failures.
When the California Air Resources Board (CARB) exempted emergency vehicles from the regulations, they did not consider that California Vehicle Code 165 only classifies government-owned towing and recovery trucks as emergency vehicles and not those operated by small businesses. To protect small businesses, jobs and the motoring public, ALL towing and recovery trucks should be exempted from the regulations until the regulations are technologically and economically feasible.
As the regulations are enacted, the cleanest, most modern new towing and recovery truck chassis and bodies will no longer be assembled or sold, putting the businesses and jobs of those who assemble them at risk. As current towing and recovery trucks retire and are not replaced, new lower-emission trucks will no longer be available to drivers.
The need for a legislative solution is urgent. Until new electric engine technology can support the demanding performance and safety standards for towing and recovery trucks, governors, state legislators and regulators must classify ALL towing and recovery trucks as emergency vehicles and exempt them from the regulations.
Towing and recovery drivers play a crucial role, providing 24/7 roadside assistance to millions of American motorists. They support first responders and clear road accidents and mechanical breakdowns. However, as the service life of existing tow and recovery trucks expires, no new inventory of trucks will be built or sold in states that have enacted California’s regulations. This could lead to longer waits for motorists in distress and increased traffic congestion due to longer accident clearance times.
Because the truck emission regulations were not intended for tow and recovery trucks, there is a simple legislative solution. Recognizing their status as emergency vehicles, all tow and recovery trucks would be exempted from the regulations until electric tow and recovery truck technology can meet the needs to protect the motoring public and is in mass production.
