Slick, snowy highways are a well-known concern to anyone driving through Wyoming during winter. But for some, the worst part of sliding off the interstate or having your semitrailer blow over from the Cowboy State’s famous winds is dealing with the aftermath.
Reports of some towing companies charging excessively high prices for vehicle recovery are common throughout Wyoming and the trucking community. In an industry deregulated by the federal government–and left that way by local and state agencies–there’s a growing debate between those who view this alleged predatory practice as a serious problem and others who deny it completely.
In 2021, the Wyoming Highway Patrol received 40 complaints about towing companies, most from commercial trucking outfits, said WHP spokesperson Rodney Miears, who also is the department’s Tow & Recovery Program coordinator. That number is down from previous years, however, the Laramie Boomerang reports.
The Highway Patrol responds to anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 calls a year for crashes that need a tow truck. Especially when recovering a semitrailer hauling goods across the state, the bills can quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
“(Unfair pricing is) a big issue, not just in Wyoming,” said Sheila Foersch, managing director for the Wyoming Trucking Association, about the practice of padding bills.
Tow outfits then hold the trucks and their cargo until the bills are satisfied, which puts companies in a position of having to pay huge fees to get their cargo released and fulfill their shipping contracts, Foersch said.
“It’s a big issue in a lot of states,” she said, adding that the Wyoming Trucking Association hears complaints from in- and out-of-state carriers that feel they were charged excessive, unfair rates.
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