Towing Service start up

Go here. It contains shitloads of info you'll get nowhere else.

http://tow411.yuku.com/

You'd better have a more comprehensive business plan than towing or you will likely lose your arse. You'd better get familiar with the scrap and salvage business too.

Get a medium duty rollback with a STEEL bed. You can weld repair them more easily in the field and steel is best for hauling wrecks, junk cars etc.

Now go to the forum above and spend about fifty hours reading. I'm not joking. Learn about proper winch use, how to do recoveries, and find a junk car to practice recovery with including using a rollover stick (hunk of pipe, you'll see examples). Get a current AAA towing handbook. Learn proper tiedown procedures.

You have a fucking shitload of work ahead. I suggest working for a towing service before going out and blowing money so you won't be ignorant. Towing and recovey is NOT a simple business if you want to make money.

Now get the fuck out to Tow411. All that time you spend on 4chan should be devoted to study.

You need to be able to fix and maintain your own rig. Don't buy a piece of shit.

Make a spreadsheet of all your costs including business license, insurance, premises (you'll need a legal, insured storage yard) etc.

Learn how magistrate sales work because you'll have a lot of abandoned cars you can't scrap otherwise. I assume you are in the US but forever end the stupid 4chan custom of not posting your location in threads. You won't be coming here for towing advice anyway so learn adult forum customs.

You should have about twice the money you have for a truck on hand to start the business.

You haven't said what your market looks like. DO YOU EVEN KNOW and I mean in depth. You'll need dealer clients so you can make a few bucks bringing cars to and from auctions. You won't be able to live on what you'll make waiting for phone calls. The margins on towing are often razor thin during lean times, and sometimes all the time.

>>16505076
Thanks I should have added, I currently have a small salvage yard (aprox 50 cars) but I don't sell many parts these days also inventory is hard to acquire that's one reason for my interest in towing, I do own a older small rollback (1979 model not acceptable for commercial tow company) and have moved well over 150 cars during the last 9 years but not wrecks from he highway just junk from peoples driveways ect, I have fucked around in my junk yard with my old truck flipping cars over and trying to recover them from weird angles but no real world experience

>>16505098
What makes inventory hard to acquire? Too far away from dealer auctions?

Can you get on police rotation?

>>16505189
I am in a small town, there are 2 recycling centers with drive on scales that pay pretty much what ever the current market is for scrap about 30 miles from here, and one well established junkyard, so they end up with most of the junk cars around the area, plus with my low customer base I cant afford to pay over scrap weight prices for cars, and yes I believe I should be able to get on rotation there used to be 4 companies here and one of the owner operators died in 2010 and there have been only 3 since then

Don't let it 404

>>16505096
Projected Expense:

>Insurance (including on hook and garage keepers) $2200-3000

>Premises (already own) $0

>Business License -$25 per year

>Truck repair and servicing- $1,500 per year

Projected Earnings:
Routine non insurance calls per week estimated 15 within a 10mi radius @ $45 =$675 per month

Tow + 2 day avegage storage estimate 5 per month @$45+ 40storage =$425 per month

Insurance paid wrecks with estimated 5 days storage times 2 per month =$290 per month

so total of $1,390 per month minus estimated $200 of diesel for above estimated calls leaves $1,190 per month minus $375 per month for insurance and truck service that only leaves me with $200 a week earnings.... my numbers have to be off majorly right?

You simple sons a bitches couldn't keep a cactus alive....bumping from page 10!

Let me ask you faggots something. How do towing companies get an in with the local police departments? I imagine they make a shit ton of money through them when cars need to be towed following an arrest, wreck, etc....

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280KB, 1080x1869px

Have a stanley to bump

>>16510818
Mate, it sounds like you already know what you're doing. What possible extra information do you expect to glean from a Nepalese copper guilding forum?

>>16510835
Here in my town i think as long as you have insurance and are up to spec with DOT they will allow you to join rotation

>>16507103

You're underestimating hardcore.

You will burn more diesel I promise.
Insurance will be more.
You will get days without calls, especially in such a small town.
You will end up storing cars longer than 5 days.
Scrap hauling isnt wort the time or diesel.
Talk to car dealers and get sidework moving cars for them. Such small town will fuck that up too.

Buddy has his own wrecker in Detroit. He hauls for dealerships and answers calls. Some days he barely makes up the fuel cost. When it snows he can bring in 2-3g in a day. Lots of grinding. But he is his own man and likes working for himself.

>>16514064
I quote some insurance in 2013 it was $2000 per year I assumed it hadn't increased all that much, also If you are spending more that $200 on diesel during 22 10mi each way trips then you have a serious fuel problem with your truck, if I ended up storing cars longer than 5 days great that's just more money, scrap hauling isn't something I do I have a salvage yard I would use the cars I got for parts inventory

>>16511620
id just like to hear from someone who is in this profession