Senate Bill 318 passed the House last week and was adopted by the Senate yesterday unanimously, after the Senate voted to approve TRALA-supported amendments that were adopted in the House.  It now heads to the governor's desk for his signature which is expected in the next few weeks.

 

Unlike many states that are attempting to enact new laws to prevent non-dealers from performing warranty work, Louisiana had decades-old language in statute already that specifically forbid any non-dealer from conducting warranty maintenance on their own vehicles.  Although the law had never been enforced, recently some car and truck dealer representatives who serve on the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission had recently taken a stand against non-dealers performing this work.

 

TRALA developed language to exempt truck fleets by defining a truck by its purpose - a vehicle that carries property or freight - rather than by its weight class as was originally suggested.  The language was distributed to TRALA's Government Relations Committee last month and was offered as an amendment to Senate Bill 318 on the House floor.  The adopted language ensures that all TRALA members will be eligible to perform manufacturer-authorized warranty maintenance work on their own vehicles, except for repairs to the internal drive train or the after-treatment exhaust system.

 

In addition to TRALA's insistence that ALL TRUCKS of any size must be removed from the scope of the existing prohibition on warranty work (as long as the renting or leasing fleet owner owns 10 of more vehicles), the legislation also specifically references owners of vehicles that are rented or leased to third parties as eligible for exemption from the prohibition on warranty work.  The bill also removes the planned "permission" language that would have forced fleets to call local dealers to ask permission to handle manufacturer-approved warranty work.

 

TRALA would like to thank Cathy Gautreaux, LMTA's Executive Director, for her leadership and support during this legislative crusade.  TRALA stands committed to having a level playing field for all its members in their ability to continue to perform manufacturer-approved warranty and maintenance work. 

 

If you have any questions about Louisiana Senate Bill 318 or the broader issue of state warranty repair legislation, please contact Jake Jacoby at jjacoby@trala.org or at 703-299-9120.