Editor’s note: The Nevada Senate advanced the bill by a vote of 11-10 on Tuesday, April 22. Check back for additional coverage.
The crossover deadline at the Nevada statehouse is Tuesday, April 22 – at which time any bill that hasn’t advanced will die. This means the fate of a bad bill to double the minimum liability insurance requirement for Nevada truckers will soon be decided.
Nevada law now requires $750,000 minimum liability insurance for affected truck drivers.
A bill awaiting possible consideration on the Senate floor would increase that liability insurance minimum for Nevada-based truck drivers to $1 million the first of the year. Another increase slated for January 2028 would raise the minimum amount to $1.25 million. In January 2030, the final increase would raise the minimum amount to $1.5 million.
Truck groups oppose legislation
During a recent Senate Growth and Infrastructure Committee hearing, Nevada Trucking Association President Paul Enos told lawmakers SB180 misses the mark.
“While the intent may be to enhance financial responsibility, the data and practical implications reveal this measure to be an arbitrary and burdensome overreach that will harm Nevada’s small businesses and trucking industry without clear justification,” Enos said in submitted testimony.
Instead, Enos said, any changes in liability requirements for commercial vehicles should be decided by the federal government.
Earlier this month, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association issued a Call to Action to Nevada members about the bill.
OOIDA said any increase in minimum insurance requirements is wholly unnecessary, would do nothing to improve highway safety, would needlessly jeopardize countless blue-collar jobs and would destroy more small and family-owned businesses.
Trucking groups aren’t the only ones to voice concern about SB180. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association also opposes the bill.
“SB180 would require freight motor carriers to carry twice the insurance limits currently required in federal regulations for general freight motor carriers,” testified Mark Sektnan, APCIA vice president. “This increase could make it very difficult for truckers in Nevada to get insurance.”
Sektnan added that most insurers will not write coverage exceeding $1 million.
“In practice, SB180 would require truckers to get two separate policies to get to $1.5 million,” he said.
In committee, Sen. Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, said he would vote “no” on the bill. He cited the excessive insurance amount it would require.
“The federal government only requires $750,000. There is only one state that actually goes anywhere close to (SB180),” Hansen said. “I think our current policies are fine. I think we’re trying to solve a problem that isn’t there.”
OOIDA President Todd Spencer noted that what the bill amounts to is very straightforward.
“This legislation is just a bad idea all the way around,” he said.
The Senate must vote Tuesday, April 22 to advance the bill to the Assembly. Failure to do so would result in the bill’s demise. LL
More Land Line coverage of Nevada news is available.
Credit: Source link
