Representatives of Stauffer's Road Solutions (Candace Daley and Jesse Stauffer) told the committee that heavy‑duty recovery operators frequently perform complex, emergency recoveries (rollovers, tractor‑trailers in ditches, diesel spills) at great expense and often are left unpaid when owner policies do not cover recovery operations. Stauffer explained the common sequence: a small fleet with minimum primary liability buys basic coverage that may not include recovery or cargo coverage, the truck rolls on an interstate, operators perform multi‑unit recovery and environmental mitigation, and insurers later decline recovery invoices or apply only limited coverage, leaving recovery operators unpaid.

The industry proposed a set of code clarifications and updates: (1) define "recovery" as specialized extraction and remediation for disabled/trailer/incidents in hazardous or inaccessible locations; (2) define "damage" and "environmental remediation" to be covered as recovery costs; (3) require primary liability insurance to pay recovery operators for recoveries within policy limits and to pay recovery operators within 30 days of incident; (4) establish a separate qualification and rotation list by rule for recovery operators; and (5) ensure recovery operators are not excluded from towing rotations when qualified. Industry provided invoice tallies to illustrate unpaid claims and urged prompt statutory fixes so recoveries are not abandoned on highways.

Several legislators expressed support and practical questions: Senator Riebe and Representative Kristofferson signaled the committee should pursue legislation or seek a sponsor; Representative Kristofferson said he would consider filing an individual bill. The committee noted timing constraints for opening committee bill files at the end of the interim but encouraged finding a sponsor for the next session or creating an interim study.