SB 454 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise tow truck regulation laws

SB 454 proposes significant revisions to Montana's commercial tow truck regulations. It establishes new classification standards for tow trucks (Classes A-E) based on equipment capacity and chassis requirements, replacing previous ratings. The bill also mandates certification for operators (75% of employees for companies, or 1 year of experience for individuals), requires equipment to meet updated safety standards, and clarifies requirements for participating in the law enforcement rotation system. These changes directly affect tow truck operators, companies, and the Montana Highway Patrol, which oversees inspections and classification. The bill was introduced in 2025 but died in committee without becoming law.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 24, 2025 Last action May 23, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

LC1996.pdf SB0454_1.pdf · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill text was updated to reflect its official Senate Bill number (SB 454) instead of the original Legislative Committee draft number (LC 1996). A new requirement was added stating that tow trucks with lapsed inspections for six months or longer must meet current classification standards before returning to commercial or rotation towing.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on commercial tow truck laws, but the eligibility criteria for returning to service after an inspection lapse were tightened.
TECHNICAL

The bill's identifier was changed from LC 1996 to SB 454, and the header was updated to indicate this is the Authorized Print Version.

REQUIREMENT

A new clause requires tow trucks with lapsed inspections of six months or more to meet current classification standards before they can resume commercial or rotation towing.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 6, 2025

How they voted

419
Passed
Total votes 50
Mar 6, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
23 Yea 9 Nay
71% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Amendments
1
Mar 6, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (41-9)
senate
Mar 3, 2025
Amended
(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Highways and Transportation
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Highways and Transportation
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Mark Noland
Mark Noland
RRepublican
MT
6