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Panel advances bill to modernize transport rules for RV chassis used by Elkhart‑area manufacturers
Summary
The committee passed Senate Bill 13 to allow modern towing and transport methods for RV chassis within defined counties (excluding the toll road). Industry witnesses said the change would align rules with current manufacturing and logistics and benefit a multi‑billion‑dollar sector; the committee vote was 12–0.
The House Roads and Transportation Committee voted 12–0 on Senate Bill 13, legislation designed to modernize how towable RV chassis are transported in counties with a concentrated RV supply chain.
Representative Miller, presenting the bill, told the committee the legislation updates rules that date to the infancy of the RV industry to reflect modern chassis transport methods. Andrew Medford, director of transportation safety at Lippert Components, described how chassis are built at supplier factories and transported on dollies, stacked and moved to yards for redistribution. Medford told the committee Lippert supplies roughly "80 to 85% of market share" for towable chassis and said the change would let suppliers and manufacturers operate within existing footprints without adding storage.
Ron Breimeyer, executive director of the RV Industry Council, said the RV sector generates large statewide economic activity and urged the committee’s support. "The RV industry is a huge industry in our state," Breimeyer said; he told the committee the industry has about a $38,000,000,000 annual impact on the state's economy. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s geographic limits (mainly Elkhart and adjacent counties) and on excluding the toll road; no committee amendments were proposed and the bill moved forward with unanimous support.
Supporters said SB 13 addresses operational inefficiencies by recognizing current towing equipment and brake technology and by limiting the authorization to specified counties to contain the policy change. The measure advances to the next stage of consideration.
