Storm Front: Does Storm Chasing Make Sense For Your Company?

By Brian J. Riker

Towers often are quick to react to natural disasters and other calls for help. This is a noble response from the towing community. But with that in mind, please be sure you are not unintentionally violating any regulations or placing your team in jeopardy in your effort to assist.

Unfortunately, responding to out-of-state storm cleanup can come with serious financial, legal, and safety risks. Here are some key points to consider before heading into disaster zones:

Preparation Is Key

Please don’t rush, ill-prepared or uninformed, into these response situations. The time to prepare for this type of work is well before the disaster hits. An emotional response, because you feel like you “have to” do something, or because you just see the opportunity to profit, is not likely to end well.

When travelling away from home, you will not have your usual support network to rely upon. There will likely be fuel supply, food, housing and other issues to deal with. Clean water may be scarce, and theft/crime will be higher than usual due to all the confusion and chaos that accompanies natural disasters.

Even with the immediate dangers of the storm passing, we can often fall into a false sense of security. Always have a plan, and a backup to that plan, so you don’t have to react emotionally when something goes wrong, and it will.

You are a Trucking Company, not an Emergency Service Provider

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates all Interstate motor carrier operations, including tow trucks, public utility trucks and other for-hire responders. Although the FMCSA typically provides some relief from regulation during these types of natural disasters, not all responding companies are exempt from hours of service, operating authority and other rules.

Generally, if you are not directly engaged in life safety operations or providing transportation of life critical equipment and/or supplies, you are still subject to all Federal and State regulations, just as all other trucking companies are.

Just because a salvage auction requested you to deploy all available assets does not make you an emergency responder or service provider, nor does it mean you are covered under any exemption declarations that may be issued. Always read the fine print in these declarations to make sure you are in compliance.

Are You Properly Insured?

Most towers have adequate insurance coverage for their normal day to day operations around town, but what if you send your trucks and staff into another state to provide services?

It is a common practice for insurance companies to limit coverages to a specific geographic area, often no more than a 500-mile radius and sometimes as low as 50 miles. This is how they control costs and effectively rate your policy for risk. Typically, a towing company will declare their normal operating area when obtaining or renewing insurance coverage, and although you are covered to occasionally exceed this declared area, sending trucks and manpower into another state long term may not be covered.

Does your insurance policy provide public liability and cargo coverage for motor carrier transportation activities or just on-hook liability coverage? If you usually only engage in towing disabled and wrecked motor vehicles around town you may not have high enough, or even the appropriate coverages, on your policy to work outside your home state. Interstate operations have very specific, often higher, coverage requirements than intrastate operations.

Will your workers’ compensation policy cover injury to remote workers? Workers’ compensation is a state level insurance plan, and the regulations, as well as coverages and requirements, vary between states. You may need to declare the out of state operations or face denial of claims and a penalty during your end of term premium audit. Always consult your insurance agent before accepting storm work outside your regular area. Towing or Transporting? Know the Difference

During storm cleanup, you’ll likely be transporting, not towing. That distinction affects your insurance, licensing, and tax obligations—and the rules differ from state to state.

Some states require DOT medical cards, specific training (like WreckMaster or ERSCA), or local authority numbers (PUC/PRC). Others have strict plate laws—even for short-term operations.

For example, after 14 days of work in a state, you may need to register your trucks there. States like Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New York are known to enforce this.

And don’t assume your local plate practices apply elsewhere—some states require special plates just to transport vehicles with wheels on the ground.

The Bottom Line

Again, while it is noble to want to help, and towers are the most generous and helpful group of professionals I know, please make sure that you are not putting yourself or your team in harms way by rushing off to provide relief.