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Committee advances towing bill requiring card payments, shoulder access and in-state storage
Summary
House Bill 11 84, amended to require towing companies accept credit/debit cards (fee capped at 3%), allow emergency shoulder use, standardize tow-zone sign heights and require in-state storage of repossessed collateral, passed the committee 8-0 after industry counsel testified.
Representative Haggard presented House Bill 11 84 and an accompanying amendment that the committee adopted by consent.
The amendment requires towing companies to accept credit or debit card payments and caps the surcharge for card acceptance at 3 percent. It also prohibits towers or storage facilities from denying vehicle pickup solely because no appointment is available or charging a storage fee for a day when no appointment exists.
The bill allows towers to use the shoulder of the road in emergency towing situations to reach disabled vehicles, standardizes tow-zone signage placement to a height between 5 and 7 feet, assigns towing companies responsibility for damage to vehicles with exceptions for emergency towing and abandoned vehicles, and requires entities performing collateral recovery to store repossessed property within Indiana rather than out of state.
Hamilton Smith of Ice Miller, representing the Indiana Towing and Wrecker Association, testified the bill strikes an appropriate balance on damage reimbursement, supports clear signage requirements and said the repo-storage language in its current form is neutral.
The committee voted on the amended bill by roll call; the chair announced passage 8-0. The committee closed the session following that vote.
