Montana Code 61-8-905. Classification standards
61-8-905. Classification standards. (1) Commercial tow trucks are divided into the following five classes based on the manufacturer‘s rating:
Terms Used In Montana Code 61-8-905
- Boom: means an engineered structure that is either mechanically or hydraulically operated and that is capable of lifting and supporting an overhead, vertical load. See Montana Code 61-8-903
- Department: means the department of justice provided for in 2-15-2001. See Montana Code 61-8-903
- Gross vehicle weight: means the weight of a vehicle without load plus the weight of any load on the vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Manufacturer: includes any person engaged in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, travel trailers, motorboats, sailboats, snowmobiles, or off-highway vehicles as a regular business. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- operator: means an individual, partnership, corporation, or other business entity that owns or operates a commercial tow truck as defined in 61-9-416. See Montana Code 61-8-903
- Vehicle: means a device in, on, or by which any person or property may be transported or drawn on a public highway, except devices moved by animal power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Montana Code 61-1-101
(a)Class A tow truck equipment must have a minimum manufacturer’s boom or combined boom rating of 4 tons and must be mounted on a truck chassis with a minimum manufacturer’s rating of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
(b)Class B tow truck equipment must have a minimum manufacturer’s boom or combined boom rating of 8 tons and must be mounted on a truck chassis with a minimum manufacturer’s rating of 18,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
(c)Class C tow truck equipment must have a minimum manufacturer’s boom or combined boom rating of 16 tons and must be mounted on a chassis that has a minimum manufacturer’s rating of 32,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
(d)Class D tow truck equipment includes manufactured rollbacks and car carriers with manufacturer’s gross vehicle ratings of 10,000 pounds and over. The rollbacks and car carriers must be mounted on a truck-trailer chassis that, at a minimum, is equal to the minimum gross weight of the rollback or car carrier. Class D also includes any piece of towing equipment without a boom.
(e)Class E includes two or more tow trucks working together with a combined manufacturer’s rating of a minimum of 80,000 pounds with access to supportive equipment, such as forklifts, banders, and air bags, for the recovery of rollovers and wrecked, disabled, and abandoned vehicles whose cargo requires special handling. Class E refers to tow truck companies and not to tow truck equipment.
(2)An operator of noncommercially manufactured or modified tow truck equipment in use on October 1, 1995, that wishes to participate in the law enforcement rotation system must have its equipment classified by the department within a time period set by the department. Once the equipment is classified, further modifications may not be made.
(3)An operator of new noncommercially manufactured or modified tow truck equipment must have its equipment independently certified before participating in the law enforcement rotation system. Once the equipment is classified, further modifications to the equipment must be recertified.