The American Trucking Associations has commended the House Appropriations Committee for voting in support of a provision to end predatory towing.
The provision is part of the fiscal year 2025 transportation funding bill which would facilitate discussions with local, state and private sector stakeholders to develop guidelines for towing and recovery regulations at all levels of government.
Predatory towing entails any incident in which a towing operator severely overcharges; illegally seizes assets; damages assets by use of improper equipment; or illegitimately withholds release of a truck, trailer and/or cargo.
“Charging truck owners thousands of dollars for each unwanted tow and holding cargo hostage with excessive invoices are egregious practices that disrupt our supply chain,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO, Chris Spear. “ATA and our federation of state associations are fighting back against these predatory towers and ransom payments that target the truckers we depend on to deliver our nation’s goods.”
According to a recent study by the American Transportation Research Institute, the most common types of predatory towing are excessive rates. A majority of carriers encountered additional issues such as truck release or access delays, cargo release delays, truck seizure without cause and tows misreported as consensual.
Last month, ATA applauded a number of other victories for trucking that were folded into the legislation, including $200 million to expand truck parking.
In other news, Global logistics provider, C.H. Robinson, is expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
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