Owning a tow truck business can cost a ton of money because of the trucks that need to be purchased, the licenses that need to be acquired, and drivers that need to be hired. Heavy duty tow trucks are an important part of the industry because they are able to tow larger vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, box trucks, tractor trailers and other large vehicles that flatbed and winch trucks cannot tow because they are much smaller than those large vehicles.

Heavy duty trucks are the backbone of hundreds of towing companies across the country these days. Brand new ones, cost anywhere from $70,000-$85,000 to purchase because of their size and how much equipment is needed for it to be a successful piece of machinery in the field of towing. They are manufactured with a regular cab or a crew cab. A crew cab will cost you more because more material is needed for the two-three extra seats in the second row and it makes the front of the truck much bigger than a regular cab.

Tow trucks are needed all over the roads of the United States each day because of accidents, break downs, traffic stops, illegal parking and so much more. Police departments across the country, depending on the size of the city or town they protect, usually have one or two in their fleet of police vehicles. Police departments will use these trucks to remove illegally parked large vehicles from the streets, tow broken down fire trucks, and tow larger vehicles that have been involved in accidents when a towing company is not available to clear the roadway.

Heavy duty trucks have a winch system on the back of their truck but the vehicle they are towing is held further off the ground because the winch is higher on the body than a smaller truck. The vehicle being towed rests on two rubber mats at the bottom of the winch boom on the tow truck, leaving the rear wheels on the street for towing. Owning a heavy duty tow truck company can be very lucrative, especially if the business is located close to a major highway or a trucking base, giving the company more opportunities for towing large vehicles.