RV Indiana Council Executive Director Ron Breymier announced that State Senate Bill 13, an RV chassis measure, authored by State Sens. Blake Doriot, Linda Rogers and Michael Crider, successfully passed the Indiana Senate by a 49-0 vote. SB 13 removes antiquated braking system requirements for pickup trucks transporting chassis for towable RVs, a release from The Indiana Manufactured Housing Association – Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (IMHA-RVIC) stated.
Sen. Doriot explained that the current Indiana law requiring trucks transporting this type of RV chassis is 35 years old and fails to reflect improvements in modern pickup truck hauling and braking technology. Indiana law requires trucks transporting such chassis to be equipped with a braking system inside the truck cab.
One-ton and midsize pickup trucks used today have sufficient towing and braking capacity to operate without the need for the cab brake. This is a way to update and modernize transportation for Indiana’s RV industry, which has a $38 billion annual economic impact on Indiana. SB 13 allows the transportation of chassis that are a part of a vehicle manufacturer’s work in process to be towed for a distance of less than 40 miles. Towing will be allowed on Indiana roads and highways, except for Interstates.
State Sens. Susan Glick and David Niezgodski serve as co-authors of SB 13.
The bill now heads to the Indiana House of Representatives for further consideration, where the sponsors will be Representatives Doug Miller, Joanna King and Timothy Wesco.
