Proposed legislation seeks to protect tow truck operators
Rep. Richard White, R-Morehead, proposed legislation to allow blue lights on two trucks during the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation meeting on Tuesday. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Nearly a year ago, a vehicle traveling down I-64 in Bath County struck and killed Troy Caldwell, a tow truck operator from Morehead, while he was working.
Now, Rep. Richard White, R-Morehead, and Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, hope Troy’s Law – or Bill Request 33 – will prevent the death of more tow truck operators in the state.
White and Flannery presented the proposed bill for the 2026 legislative session during Tuesday’s Interim Joint Committee on Transportation meeting.
“This legislation will allow wreckers to operate blue lights while stationary and actively removing a vehicle or debris from the highway,” White said. “This is a limited, common-sense step that increases visibility and prompts drivers to slow down and move over.”
Blue emergency lights are typically reserved for law enforcement vehicles. White said the bill would not create confusion with law enforcement.
“It is narrowly written to allow blue lights only when the truck is stopped, not while driving or towing,” White added.
BR 33 is similar to House Bill 115, which was filed by White, Flannery and several co-sponsors during this year’s legislative session. The bill did not advance past the committee assignment phase of the legislative process.
If passed in 2026, Kentucky would not be the first state to allow blue lights on tow trucks, White said. Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and others have implemented similar legislation.
“Troy’s Law is about saving the lives of our brave tow truck operators,” White said. “It is about protecting the men and women who come to our rescue when we need them the most and ensuring that they get to go home safely.”
Flannery said BR 33 is about worker safety.
“People in the towing business have a very important job, but often a very dangerous job,” Flannery said.
Flannery’s constituent, Bubba Johnson, a tow truck company owner and Caldwell’s friend, testified alongside the representatives on Tuesday.
Johnson told the committee that Kentucky’s law requiring motorists to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles is helpful, but not enough.
“Adding the blue lights to the rear of these tow trucks would give us one more layer of protection,” Johnson said.
Rep. Anne Gay Donworth, D-Lexington, asked White and Flannery what the Kentucky State Police’s position is on the bill.
White said that KSP was not in favor of the bill during the 2025 legislative session.
“I think their thinking is it interferes with their usage of their blue lights,” he added.
Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, asked if the sponsors have considered if other colors of lights, like red, may be used to alert motorists instead of blue to avoid confusion with law enforcement.
Johnson said tow trucks can currently be equipped with red and yellow lights.
Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, said the committee received a letter of opposition prior to the meeting concerning the proposed bill. She said the letter raised the issue of towing fraud and cited concerns that certain tow truck drivers who listen to police scanners and arrive first on the scene may be incorrectly associated with law enforcement.
“Do we know how prevalent that issue is in our state or nationwide?” Roarx asked.
Flannery said he did not find the concerns in the letter to be “persuasive.”
“I’m sure as in any profession there are bad actors and people that do things that they ought not do,” he added. “I don’t really know how putting a different color of lights on top of a tow truck is going to cause more fraud.”
Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, said he was a cosponsor of last year’s House Bill 115, and he still supports the legislation. He urged the committee to carefully consider the issue.
“I think it is definitely a life-saving piece of legislation that we need to move forward with,” he said.
The Kentucky General Assembly cannot act on legislation until the 2026 legislative session begins on Jan. 6.
A draft of White and Flannery’s proposed bill can be found here.
The next Interim Joint Committee on Transportation meeting is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. on Oct. 14.
