Guides
A towing company proposal template that people actually use
A towing proposal wins when the scope names the hook, the mile, the winch-out and the storage day, and the fees match what dispatch can bill.
What to take away
- A towing company proposal template is a scope list plus a rate card. If either half is missing, the customer negotiates every invoice.
- Scope items are the units you bill: hook, loaded mile, winch-out, recovery hour, storage day, after-hours call.
- Fees belong in named variables your office substitutes with its own numbers, never in a figure copied from another market.
- Every rate needs a source the customer can check, such as your published tariff or the city's rotation schedule.
- The proposal is finished when dispatch, the driver and the customer can all read the same job the same way.
This article covers towing-company business practice only. It is not guidance on operating a tow truck, rigging a recovery or working a roadside scene. That training comes from a certified towing and recovery program and your state or provincial safety authority.
Licensing, permit, impound, lien and insurance obligations vary by jurisdiction. Confirm them with your state DOT, city licensing office, or a licensed attorney.
What a towing proposal has to contain
A delivery proposal sells a route. A towing proposal sells a call-out, and the call-out has parts the customer can count. Name them in the scope section and the rest of the document writes itself.
Billable units in a tow scope
- Hook feefirst mile or standalone
- Loaded miledistance on deck
- Winch-outpriced by the pull
- Recovery houroff-road or on side
- Storage daystarts when vehicle lands
- After-hours multiplierstated factor
- Fuel surchargetied to published index
Two more lines belong in scope even though they are not fees: who authorizes the tow, and who signs at release. A fleet account and a stranded motorist authorize differently, and the proposal should say which one your office expects.
The template: eight sections to fill in
Copy these headings into your own document. Leave the brackets in place so the office substitutes current numbers.
Eight sections to fill in
- Parties and account type
- Authorization
- Scope of service
- Fee schedule
- Payment terms
- Storage and release
- Insurance and liability
- Review date
The eight headings, in order:
- Parties. The customer's legal name, and whether this is a fleet account or a one-time call.
- Scope of service. The billable lines you coverhook, loaded mile, winch-out, recovery hour, storage day, after-hours call.
- Exclusions. What the proposal does not cover, such as cargo or a second vehicle.
- Authorization and release. Who authorizes the tow, and who signs at release.
- Fee formula. The arithmetic, filled from your current tariff.
- Rate source. The tariff, rotation schedule or signed contract the numbers come from.
- Surcharges. The after-hours multiplier and the fuel index, each with a review date.
- Term and review. When the proposal is reviewed and what triggers a change.
Typical US ranges as of 2026. These are ranges, not quotes. Your tariff, your city rotation schedule, or a signed fleet contract controls the number you print.
Eight sections to fill in
| Line | Typical range in most US markets, as of 2026 | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Hook fee | $75 to $150, light duty | Time of day, truck class, whether it includes the first mile |
| Loaded mile | $3 to $7 per mile, light duty | Truck class, state tariff, distance beyond the first mile |
| Winch-out | $75 to $250 per pull | Pulls needed, off-road angle, whether the tariff prices it by hour |
| Recovery hour | $150 to $400 per hour | Rotator or heavy wrecker class, crew size, scene complexity |
| Storage day | $25 to $75 per day, outdoor | Indoor or fenced space, city impound schedule |
| After-hours call | 1.5x the lines above, typical | Holiday or weekend dispatch, contract terms |
| Fuel surcharge | A percentage tied to a published index | Index chosen, review schedule, fleet contract terms |
Writing the fee section so it survives a dispute
Fee formula variables
- HHook fee
- MLoaded-mile rate
- DTow distance in miles
- WWinch-out charge
If your hook fee is H, your loaded-mile rate is M, and the tow runs D miles, the customer's bill before tax is H + (M x D). Add a winch-out of W and it becomes H + W + (M x D).
Worked example: H is $125, M is $4 and D is 18 miles. The bill before tax is 125 + (4 x 18) = $197. Add a winch-out of $150 and the total is 125 + 150 + 72 = $347. Those figures are for illustration only.
Two clauses you can copy and adapt:
Writing the fee section
- Scope"This proposal covers the hook, each loaded mile, each winch-out, each recovery hour and each storage day, for the vehicles and locations listed in Schedule A."
- Fee"Fees are the amounts in the company tariff in effect on the date of service. The bill before tax is the hook fee plus the loaded-mile rate multiplied by loaded miles, plus any separate winch-out line."
That structure does three things. It shows the customer how the number was built. It lets you raise a rate without rewriting the document. It gives dispatch a formula to quote from when the phone rings at 2 a.m.
The towing company sales and proposal guide walks through how those variables feed a fleet account versus a one-time call.
Check the claims before the proposal goes out
Anything you promise in the proposal is advertising, and the Federal Trade Commission's advertising guide for small business sets the standard: claims must be truthful and supported, and testimonials must reflect real experience. "Fastest response in the county" needs a record behind it.
If you tow for a rotation list, the rates may already be set for you. The city or county that runs the list publishes its schedule, and your proposal has to match it. Say so in the document. A customer who sees "rates per the city rotation schedule" stops arguing about the hook fee.
Cargo securement is a separate obligation from the tow itself, and the FMCSA cargo securement rules explain how the federal performance duties work for interstate movements. Do not restate those rules in a proposal. Point to them and note that applicability depends on the vehicle and the operation.
Keep the paperwork that backs your rates. The IRS recordkeeping guidance explains what a business needs to retain to show income and expenses.
Worked example: a fleet account proposal
A regional delivery company asks for coverage on twelve vans. Your scope section lists the hook, the loaded mile, the winch-out, the recovery hour and the storage day. Your fee section carries the letters, not the numbers.
Fleet account proposal timeline
- Day 0Account manager fills tariff variables
- Day 0Customer signs proposal
- Week 3Van winched from ditch at 11 p.m.
- Week 3Dispatch quotes approved formula
- Week 3Invoice matches without argument
The account manager fills them in from the current tariff, adds the after-hours multiplier, and states the review date. The customer signs. Three weeks later a van is winched out of a ditch at 11 p.m. Dispatch quotes from the same formula the customer already approved, and the invoice matches.
That is the whole test. If the proposal cannot produce that invoice without a phone argument, the scope or the fee section is still incomplete.
Common questions
What is this article for?
It gives a towing operator the two halves of a usable proposal: the scope list that names every billable unit, and the fee section built from variables rather than borrowed figures. Use it as a starting structure, then confirm your own rates and local requirements.
What has to be confirmed locally?
Your city, county or state sets these rules, not this article:
- Rotation-list rates
- Permit conditions
- Impound and lien procedures
- Insurance requirements
Check the issuing agency's published rules, and take contract and licensing questions to a licensed attorney.
Should the proposal include a rate table?
Only if the rates are yours and current. A table of real numbers is useful for a fleet account with a signed term. For everyone else, the formula is safer.
How often should the proposal be reviewed?
Tie the review to something that moves: your fuel index, your insurance renewal, or the city's rotation schedule. A proposal with no review date quietly becomes a discount the customer keeps.
