The Recreational Vehicle (RV) industry is regulated by the Department of State’s Board of Vehicles, Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons.
 
Initially, both automobiles and RVs were combined in one chapter under the Board of Vehicles Act. However, there are many obvious distinctions between the automotive and RV industries that need to be differentiated in law.  Act 134 of 2018 appropriately created a separate section (Chapter 5) for RVs under the Board of Vehicles Act.
 
Since 2018, the industry has identified several areas of the law that need further clarification. The main changes can be summarized as follows:

• Move the RV section (332.1) pertaining to RV events from Chapter 3 to Chapter 5.

• Clarify that RV dealers shall be permitted to acquire warranty components and parts from a supplier other than the manufacturer. It would also streamline the warranty reimbursement process for RV dealers, creating more efficient repair times for customers and allowing RV manufacturers to gain awareness of recurring RV issues.

• Clarify the language regarding labor rates for warranty service. The new language will closely mirror the automotive dealers’ formula for establishing warranty service labor rates for dealer compensation by the manufacturer and will provide for more consistent rate setting and prices.

• Protect consumers from rogue dealers who host pop-up-style RV events. Established RV dealers have agreements with RV manufacturers that outline the dealer’s area of sales responsibility.  When dealers disregard this and go outside their territory, they put unknowing consumers at risk of flawed warranty policies. Consumers may struggle to get warranty service from pop-up dealers if the dealers are located out-of-state or hours away from the location of the pop-up event.  My bill will clarify that RV dealers are not permitted to operate outside of the area of sales responsibility if that dealer is the only participating dealer in the event.
• Prohibits manufacturers from changing the warranty on a new RV after it is sold to the dealer. This would protect consumers who purchase RVs that were manufactured in a previous year. The one-year warranties on these unsold/leftover units would remain, just like a current year model.

This legislation is the Senate companion to Representative Scott Conklin’s HB 38. It  is supported by the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle & Camping Association, which represents over 400 RV dealers, manufacturers, campgrounds, and other businesses serving the industry in this commonwealth.
 
Please join me in modernizing the RV law to protect not only Pennsylvania’s small businesses, but also the consumers of Pennsylvania’s RV and camping industry.