Senate Transportation reviews miscellaneous DMV bill covering front‑plate proposal, towing reimbursements and technical fixes

The Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 27 heard testimony on a miscellaneous bill from the Department of Motor Vehicles that would make a series of operational and statutory changes, including a proposal to eliminate front license plates, adjustments to abandoned‑vehicle towing reimbursements, and a number of technical corrections and clarifications across registration and titling rules.

Andrew Collier, commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, told the committee the bill is largely operational: "This change is, just following federal law, which is can't issue multiple credentials to an individual," and the measure would "solidify" that a person's highest credential is the controlling credential when multiple credentials are in circulation. Collier also said the bill would allow DMV to reissue a person’s highest credential more quickly when they leave incarceration if the credential is less than three years old, to avoid duplicating work and speed reentry into the community.

Why it matters: Senators emphasized that several provisions touch everyday interactions with DMV and municipal services — how quickly people can get the right credential after incarceration, how abandoned vehicles are handled on state and municipal land, and whether removing front plates would affect law‑enforcement identification or public‑safety efforts.

Front‑plate proposal

Collier said the agency’s working proposal is "to do away with front plates," describing how, after the post‑Irene temporary plates, a range of customized front plates and organizational designs have proliferated. Committee members asked DMV for a written proposal with cost and enforcement estimates and asked law enforcement and safety advocates to testify.

"The proposal is to do away with front plates," Collier said, and he added the agency will "spell it out and bring it in" with alternatives and clarifying language. Senators pressing him asked for data and impact analysis: one committee member noted a budget assumption that savings from printing one rather than two plates might already be counted in DMV projections and asked Collier to identify what, if any, budget savings would materialize.

Collier provided ticketing context: "Approximately 190 tickets were in last year," concentrated largely in one town, and he said DMV has reached out to other states (he referenced contact with Colonel Jones of the Ohio State Police) for experience after Ohio moved to single‑rear‑plate enforcement. Several senators requested explicit ticketing breakdowns by municipality and data from state police and pedestrian/bicycle safety advocates before considering the change.

Towing, abandoned vehicles and reimbursement

The bill would permit state and municipal agencies to hire tow companies directly and then seek reimbursement from DMV for abandoned vehicles, a change Collier said is meant to address tow companies increasingly declining to remove vehicles under the current statutory process. "Tow companies are no longer towing vehicles," he told the committee, adding that the change would allow agencies to pay a tow company directly and then be reimbursed.

Committee members pushed back on the adequacy of current reimbursement caps; Collier and members discussed that statutory ceilings (examples cited in committee discussion included a $125 reimbursement figure for routine tows) are often too low for more complex removals such as RVs or hazmat situations. Senators asked the agency to return with cost estimates, data on how many companies will tow at current rates, and clarification on who pays for high‑cost removals and how municipalities recoup expenses from vehicle owners when possible.

Fines, chicanes and commercial drivers

Sections raising fines and shifting responsibility toward companies for drivers following company routing also drew extended questioning. Collier described raising fines to "10 and 20" (ten‑ and twenty‑thousand dollar thresholds were discussed) and said points and penalty structures could be adjusted. Lawmakers urged DMV to gather evidence that increased fines would change corporate routing behavior and to consult judiciary staff about whether proposed fines would be defensible and proportionate.

Other technical and policy items

- Titles and counter printing: Section 9 would let lienholders receive a printed title at the counter after showing documentation, instead of waiting for mailings. - Salvage‑title and electronic documents: Language proposed by a salvage‑auction stakeholder (Copart) would expand electronic handling for some salvage‑title documents; DMV said counsel is refining that language. - Weight and tax: The bill clarifies that "unloaded" (shipping) weight — not registered weight — determines whether a vehicle falls into a higher "max tax" bracket (above 10,099 pounds), to reduce year‑two registration surprises and dealer misregistrations. - Snowmobiles and fees: The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers proposed fee formulas to reduce incentives not to register; senators requested counts of registered machines and a fee‑impact analysis. - Emergency CDL waiver: During declared emergencies (protracted snow/ice events), the bill would allow municipalities or state agencies to temporarily let certain non‑CDL employees operate vehicles requiring a CDL under limited emergency conditions; lawmakers asked for details about medical‑card waivers and municipal readiness. - Boating flotation device: Senators asked to invite the Vermont State Police Marine Unit and the YMCA to testify on a separate proposed winter flotation‑device requirement for public‑safety review.

What’s next

Committee members asked DMV to provide specific data points and written language before the item moves forward: cost/savings calculations for one‑plate vs. two‑plate scenarios, municipal and state ticketing figures, tow‑company capacity and pricing data, and the agency’s proposed statutory text for plate design and salvage/title changes. Collier said DMV staff will follow up and bring back refined language and supporting data. The committee recessed for a five‑minute break after the presentation.

Sources: Testimony and back‑and‑forth during the Jan. 27 Senate Transportation Committee hearing with Andrew Collier, commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and committee members.