Learn to run a wrecker?

Nobody starts at the top in this profession, or any other that comes to mind. Pay will go along with experience and what you put into it.
If I lived somewhere warmer I'd be interested. Guys that have been at it a while by me are making over $100k take home as employees. Granted they are doing some pretty involved work and have some wildly long days to get there.

 

Whats wrong, CJ?

I would go with Systems, as they are a specialized carrier, lot more equipment hauling.

 

CJ, I have been around wreckers since I was born, third generation tow operator. I have moved on to car haul because it has a better life style, but towing is not a bad profession. You have an advantage over most who would walk in off the street, your cdl. You will have a lot of on the job training and work your way up, plus towing is not always as progressive as trucking, meaning as a woman some shops won't give you a shot. If you plan on moving up to heavy duty you will need to have good mechanical aptitude and common sense, it will become you job to get these rookie drivers out of some crazy situations, so you need to be a very good driver as well as capable of seeing the big picture, doing complex math problems to calculate load on your lines, force needed to overcome resistance, etc. Now, all that comes with training and practice, no one is going to put you in a heavy wrecker day one without training, you will work your way up. I won't lie, the hours can be long but you are home every day, some companies let you take your truck home and work on call from the house. I don't know where you are in Colorado but there are some bug tow companies up there, also some good ones just south of you in New Mexico. It would not hurt to go talk to the tow companies in town, see what they say. There is a lot of labor involved, all weather and all times of the day and night, but I found it to be rewarding and made great money doing it. I still tow part time but have changed direction with my life to where towing does not fit anymore. Good luck.

PS If you want to relocate to Las Vegas, NV there is a good sized tow company that is owned by a woman, I know someone who works there, they are a good company and are willing to train the right person.

 

Hi brian, I've found towing is indeed past down from generation to generation. I don't think laying under a disabled semi pulling the driveshaft in 0 degree weather is any place for a lady, although I could be wrong. Then there's days like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQkgRG1asM

 

If you would like to give towing a shot, then go for it. You may probably start off with the wheel lift, then maybe flatbed. If the company you go with has 18 wheeler tow, then you could "in time" learn on that. I do not know the full pay scale of all companies, but I do know this, at a place I worked at many moons ago, the drivers got a base pay weekly, of a mere $300. The ALL tows done by the guys, were of a commission basis, so they cleaned up well in fact. Each guy took the truck home and as such was subject to a 24/7 dispatch, but they loved it, as they would have the police tows as well.

Money can be made as a tow driver, but then too, so can it be near death. Go for a repo, or a police tow, you can be shot at, stabbed, assaulted, so if you can carry, then do so. Police officers DO come to a police tow, here at least, but some police tows are on the highways as well. So yet another danger comes to mind.

Once you learn, and continue to learn with each tow, you will be as sought after as any other driver of a big rig. The money gets better as time goes on, like anything else.

I do not know you, but female or not, you have every right to do this as anyone else. In fact, a female driver broken down will feel more comfortable with you. Several weeks ago, my sis had to have her car towed away as it was sold as junk. The driver was?

yep, 100% female and VERY capable of taking the car away.

 

I had a woman tow me a few years back. Did a bang up job...spare the entire ride going waaaay over the limit.

Don't take starting as new personnel to mean you'll make minimum wage. Go talk to a couple places and find out. You might get the lowest wage to start-could be decent money too. Grown folks run tow trucks, it's not a high school part time job for many; therefore it has to pay something better than walmart greeting does.

 

you learn basically every day..

I had a long talk with the kool dude who hooked me in Orlando....He's had both legs broke, an ankle broke, and been hit by cars like twice in his 20 years of doing it....That is not an easy job as other posts above me already pointed out.. I asked him the same thing you are asking, he said you start small in most cases and work your way up..I think he also said that there are towing schools (kinda like truck schools) that help speed up the process....Maybe do a search if you are still interested..

 

I'd assume they'd require smaller tow experience like F350 size towing cars and light trucks before they train you to run a Class A wrecker, even if you had a class A license already. That's not a job for the faint of heart of those guys are usually bad as**es who have to not only know how to wrench on big trucks and get their hands dirty, plus you have to have to have some serious drivin' skills. It's basically a heavy haul job where you can have a 70-80 foot truck and trailer on the back weighing up to 80,000 PLUS the weight and length of the wrecker...which those things have to weigh at least 50,000 lbs for the big Pete 379 wreckers with the drop axle and 20,000 lb steer axle. You're talking combinations up to 120 feet long and up to 130,000 lbs probably.