How much do those semi tow truck drivers make?

Towing companies here are always hiring. No doubt not a easy task finding drivers ready to work as quick as the phone rings.

 

I heard a rotator that weighs 70k lb is over 650k. Driver told there were only 3 in the state of Florida that were his size. Driver makes hourly plus commission. $30 an hour plus a cut. 2 hours he charged $900. He was smooth with his rig. His rig plus our tractor trailer at 11pm. This was 5 years ago.

 

There's some twin steer rotators (two front steer axles) that cost $850k or more.
It takes a lot of big wrecks to pay for one. I know a few heavy duty tow truck drivers. They don't make that much as drivers . It depends if they are mechanics too ,some are.It also depends in what area of the country you are in.It also depends on their skill level and if they can tackle any situation the owner sends them out on.
Thats why on big wrecks you see the towing company send out as many vehicles they can bill for .They gotta jack up that bill to make those payments. I have a friend with a decent size towing and repair company .he has about 30 trucks . The last time I spoke to him his accounts receivable was $1.3 million. That's money he has in the street ,trying to collect on.sometimes he has a hard time making payroll,big shiny trucks don't always mean a big fat bank account.

 

When I was running a tow rig, the pay was on percentages. It worked out to 32 to 37 percent based on the work.

Billing was time and mileage. The more complex the job, the higher the percentage.

 

Heavy duty tow truck operators can make good money, sometimes great money. It depends on what part of the country you are in and your overall skill set. You need to be part truck driver, part mathematician and part diesel mechanics as well as an engineer. There is so much more to it than just hooking and booking or pulling until something breaks like the tv show clowns do.

Now, the tv shows are sensationalized for ratings, so for the guys that are on Highway Thru Hell and this board, please don't think I am bashing you. I know you know your jobs better than what makes the air!

In my part of the world, Northeast Pennsylvania, pay can be done in two ways. Percentage of the invoice, usually 20-30%, or hourly which is usually $20-$25 per with no overtime just straight time. Either way it works out to about $70-80k a year gross. Some big cities the drivers make easily over $100k a year. When I was in Albuquerque our heavy drivers all made better than $80k with the lead driver topping out at $101k in 2011. Not bad for a 4 day on 3 day off rotation and only being on 24 hour call (night duty) 2 of the 4 days on. Now, other companies will run you into the ground making you be on call 24/7, hours of service mean nothing when the police call with a wreck it is go time. It is not unusual for a wrecker driver to be awake and working 36 hours straight during a storm, that is reality.

As for all the chrome and bells and whistles, some company owners think that gets them business, a cool looking truck generates sales leads. I say b.s., the heavy duty towing business is mostly commercial work for large companies that could care less how pretty the truck is, they just want the job done right and done now.

Those heavy duty wreckers cost a lot of money. I am in the sales business now, as a part time gig to supplement my income as my consulting firm grows. I sell Jerr-Dan towing equipment. A typical heavy duty tow truck, the workhorse of the fleet is a 35 ton unit. That is the recovery boom rated capacity. The truck will tow tractor trailer combos, buses, garbage packers, etc. They retail for between $250-$300k depending on the chassis choice, options and such. The next step up is a 50 ton, which adds another $25-50k to the base price.

When you start talking about rotators, the littlest one on the market today, the Century 1130 retails for $350,000. The 50 and 60 ton units, which are most common retail for $550-700k, and the largest can be well over $750k. I have delivered three heavy wreckers this month, two 35 ton units at $280k each and a 60 ton rotator at $715,000. This is a lot of iron, and huge monthly payments.