Tow Truck rates

I have had a couple of $125 tows, but they were for moving a truck two blocks. The last one I had from Michigan to central Indiana was just over $1500.

 

I guess I'll find out first hand since I got a tow company out of Hagerstown, MD bringing me a Penske truck and towing my ride back to a shop...my head gasket (or worse the head) let go this morning down west of Cumberland, MD

 

Oooooh, yuck. Hope it turns out as good as it possibly can for you.

 

Friend of mine runs a tow truck......he says there's an additional $125.00 charge if the truck driver happens to be a total jerk. Like when a driver refuses to let him tow his truck because of his lack of experience.

He has a real baby face and looks like he's about 20.....he's been running big hook wreckers for 15 years but gets questioned about his "Experience" all the time.

Moral of the story.........

Be polite to your tow truck driver, don't judge a book by the cover and be charged a fair rate.

 

I would advise anyone who needs a tow truck to check around. Rates can vary widely from one company to another. And I don't know that the premium would be worth the extra cost on your insurance since it is rare that most of us actually need a tow. Things can and do happen, but they are not the norm. You are much more likely to need road service where something can be repaired along the road than needing to have your equipment towed to a garage. Most of the time the mechanic can get you running at least long enough to get to a garage where repairs can be made should they not be able to make those repairs on the road. I would also suggest that you get a firm price before allowing them to hook to your truck. If not, you could find yourself paying much more than would normally be necessary.

 

The company I worked for had a on going contract with a great towing co. as most of our (garbage) trucks were climbing in age 25-30yrs old avrg. standard tow was $500 and our shop would show up to disconnect the drive shaft before the tow company did. Yet even with the contract I was with a guy that got our truck stuck up to the frame rails in thick mud, I saw the tow bill nearly 3k for remote hard to get to area in the hills, tow rig had to back up nearly 4 miles on a tiny one lane road with woods on one side and a clif on the other in pouring rain. he was not happy to see where we were. LOL

 

$60 a year is less than what AAA charges for a car plan. You're right though, it is rare to need a tow. It's nice for me to have the option of having the truck towed back to my shop instead of an unknown shop on the road. Be careful when getting quotes on wreckers though, make sure you know what kind of equipment is going to be pulling your truck. There are guys that will pull a loaded tractor-trailer with one of those bobtail rigs with the fifth wheel wrecker setup, but that doesn't make it smart, or worth the $100 you saved by not getting a real wrecker.

 

I got my tow job done yesterday and I am very pleased with the service and price. Ecton and Son out of Hagerstown, MD charged me $550 to grab a Penske rental truck out of Hagerstown, bring it to me in Frostburg, MD (just west of Cumberland on I-68, and tow my truck to Alban CAT down in Winchester, VA. I ran the round trip miles and it was right about 245 which comes out to about $2.24 a mile for them. Heck I was expecting a easy $1000 bill.

 

A lot of the tow operators in my country are lower then Shark S###e.One of my drivers had his car taken by his brother with out permission last night. Put it in to the curb.These tow vultures hooked his car and had his literate dumb ### brother sign a authorization allowing the tow. They towed this tiny car under 10 miles and want $1000-00 dollars to release.Storage per day at $60.All because he has no insurance and no one to fight for him. Cant get them to take a call all day.Now at closing time they answer and say the boss is out.