Tow Truck Driver Job Description: Template, CDL Rules, Requirements & Pay (2026)
A tow truck driver recovers disabled, wrecked, illegally parked and repossessed vehicles and takes them where they need to go — a shop, a storage lot, or home. Whether the job needs a CDL depends on the truck and what it tows, not on the title, and most postings get that wrong in one direction or the other. Below: a copy-paste tow truck driver job description template, the FMCSA weight rules read at source, what the role pays, and what it costs to reach drivers on social.
What a tow truck driver does
On a typical shift a tow driver takes calls from dispatch, drives to a breakdown, crash scene or parking lot, assesses how to load or hook the vehicle without damaging it, secures it on a flatbed or wheel-lift, completes paperwork and photos, and delivers the vehicle. Many also handle roadside calls that never become a tow. Heavy-duty operators recover trucks, buses and equipment, which is rigging and winching work as much as driving. Night and weekend on-call is part of almost every tow job, because breakdowns and crashes do not keep business hours.
In federal statistics, tow truck drivers are counted inside heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. O*NET's definition for that occupation reads: drive a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds, "Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers." That is a statistical grouping, not a licensing rule, and it is the source of a common posting mistake: requiring a CDL for a rollback that does not need one.
The pay picture follows from that grouping. The BLS median for all heavy and tractor-trailer drivers was $58,640 in 2025. For the heavy truck drivers working in support activities for road transportation — the industry group that includes motor vehicle towing — the May 2025 median was $48,810, or $23.47 an hour. Towing companies are competing with freight carriers for CDL holders at a lower median, which is why the non-CDL light-duty pool matters so much.
When a tow truck driver needs a CDL
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's guidance is direct: "For CDL purposes, the tow truck and its towed vehicle are treated the same as any other powered unit towing a non-powered unit." The vehicle groups in 49 CFR 383.91 then decide the class. Read against FMCSA's tow truck guidance, that works out as follows.
| Your truck and what it tows | Federal CDL requirement |
|---|---|
| Wrecker or rollback rated under 26,001 lb GVWR, towing cars and light trucks, with the combination under 26,001 lb | No CDL (Class C only if towing a vehicle placarded for hazardous materials on a "subsequent move") |
| Tow truck rated 26,001 lb GVWR or more, driven empty or towing a vehicle rated 10,000 lb or less | Class B |
| Combination rated 26,001 lb or more, towing a vehicle rated over 10,000 lb GVWR (box trucks, buses, tractors) | Class A |
Two details catch employers. First, the federal CDL definition counts the combination's rating or its actual weight, "whichever is greater" (49 CFR 383.5), so a medium-duty wrecker that picks up a heavy vehicle can cross into Class A territory on a single call. Second, endorsements: under separate FMCSA guidance, a CDL tow operator limited to emergency "first moves" — from the crash or breakdown to the nearest appropriate repair facility — needs no endorsements for the vehicle being towed, but anyone doing "subsequent moves" between facilities needs the endorsements that vehicle would require, other than passenger and school bus.
No CDL does not mean no federal rules. A vehicle rated 10,001 lb or more used in interstate commerce is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5, and its driver must carry a current medical examiner's certificate (49 CFR 391.41) and be at least 21 (49 CFR 391.11). CDL drivers also fall under the drug and alcohol testing rules in Part 382 — see our DOT drug testing requirements guide. Intrastate operations follow state rules, and some states license tow operators themselves: Texas requires every tow truck operator to hold a TDLR license (Incident Management, Private Property or Consent Tow), and the first two require certification from an approved program (TDLR). This is not legal advice; confirm your state's rules before posting.
Tow truck driver job description template
Copy this into your ATS, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. Put the license line exactly as your trucks require it — that one line decides who applies.
Job title
Tow Truck Driver — [Light-Duty / Rollback / Heavy-Duty], [No CDL Required / Class B CDL / Class A CDL], [City]
Summary
[Company] is hiring tow truck drivers for [light-duty and roadside / heavy-duty recovery] work in [service area]. Pay is [$XX.XX/hour / XX% commission per call / hourly plus per-call bonus], with a [take-home truck]. Schedule is [four 10s] plus [one on-call night a week and one weekend a month]. We train on [wheel-lift, rollback and winching] and pay for [TIM training / state tow operator certification].
Responsibilities
- Respond to dispatched calls for breakdowns, accidents, [private property / police rotation] tows and roadside assistance
- Assess each vehicle and choose the safe loading method; secure vehicles with straps, chains and wheel-lift or flatbed
- Work safely at roadside and incident scenes, following [traffic incident management] practices and directions from police or fire
- Complete pre-trip and post-trip inspections and keep the truck and equipment in working order
- Photograph vehicle condition, complete tow and release paperwork, and collect payment where required
- Provide [jump starts, lockouts, tire changes and fuel delivery] on roadside calls
- [Heavy-duty: rig and recover trucks, buses and equipment with rotator / under-lift]
- Treat stranded and upset customers calmly and professionally
Requirements
- [Valid driver's license / Class B CDL / Class A CDL] with [no more than X moving violations in 3 years]
- [At least 21 and a current DOT medical card, if our trucks require one]
- [State tow operator license, or able to obtain within X days — we pay]
- Able to lift [75] lbs, kneel and crawl to hook vehicles, and work outdoors in all weather
- Available for on-call rotation including nights, weekends and holidays
- Pass a background check, MVR review and [DOT drug and alcohol test / company drug screen]
Preferred
- Towing, roadside or auto repair experience
- Certification from a recognized towing training program
- Knowledge of [service area] roads
Schedule and pay
- [Hourly / commission / hybrid] pay, with how commission is calculated written out
- [Shift schedule] plus [on-call rotation], with [on-call stipend of $X] and [minimum call-out pay]
- [Take-home truck: yes / no]
Benefits
- Health, dental and vision from day [1 / 30 / 60]
- Paid time off and [X] paid holidays
- [Uniforms, boots and cold-weather gear provided]
- [Paid CDL training to move up to heavy-duty]
Requirements: what to keep, what to soften, and what to add
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| CDL | Match it to the truck. Requiring a CDL for a light-duty rollback narrows your applicant pool for no legal reason. For Class B or A trucks it is non-negotiable; say which class in the title. |
| Driving record | Keep it, and define it. "Clean MVR" means different things to different insurers. State the lookback and the limit, and see our guide to MVR checks. |
| Minimum age | Set it by rule, not habit. Federal rules require drivers of interstate commercial motor vehicles rated 10,001 lb or more to be 21. For intrastate light-duty work your state and your insurer set the floor. |
| Commission pay | Disclose the formula. "Up to $80,000" with no explanation reads as a trap. Percentage per call, hourly minimum and what happens on a slow week are what experienced drivers look for. |
| On-call | Disclose frequency and pay. On-call is where tow jobs differ most from one company to the next, and a driver who discovers the rotation after hire is a driver who keeps looking. |
| Towing experience | Soften for light-duty. Hooking and securing is trainable; judgment on a highway shoulder is what you screen for at interview. |
How to customize it for your setting
Light-duty and roadside assistance
This is the no-CDL job, and it hires from the same pool as delivery and service drivers. Lead with the truck, the pay model and the schedule. If most calls are motor club work, say so.
Heavy-duty recovery
Class A or B, rigging, winching and long scene times. Name the equipment — rotator, integrated wrecker, under-lift — and whether you train on it. The CDL pool you are recruiting from also has line-haul options at a higher median, so benefits and home time carry weight.
Private property and impound
State and local licensing often applies, and confrontations with owners are part of the job. Say how the company supports drivers when an owner arrives mid-tow.
Police rotation and incident management
Response-time requirements, scene safety and working alongside police and fire are the job. Say what traffic incident management training you provide and how the rotation is scheduled.
What it costs to reach tow truck drivers on social
Our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark (891 Boostpoint-managed campaigns on Meta) does not segment tow truck drivers, and its CDL truck driver family was built from truck-driving campaigns, not towing, so we do not attribute it here. The reference point is the report-wide median: $13.88 per applicant, with the middle half of all campaigns between $6.48 and $29.74. These are advertising costs only — cost per applicant, not cost per hire.
If you are hiring drivers rather than describing the job, the recruiting side — where CDL and non-CDL drivers actually are, and what the ad has to say — is on our trucking and CDL recruiting page, and the CDL driver job description covers the Class A and B requirements in more depth.
Writing the ad version
The ad on Facebook or Instagram has to answer the license question before anything else, because it is the first thing a driver checks. Something like: "Tow Truck Driver — No CDL needed. Rollback, take-home truck, $22/hr + per-call bonus. Four 10s, one on-call night a week. We train. Apply in 60 seconds."
For heavy-duty, lead with the class and the equipment instead. Keep the form to license class, years driving, MVR in plain terms and on-call availability. Across the benchmark, what happens after the click explains 70% of the difference between campaigns; our candidate conversion rate guide shows how much, and where to find truck drivers covers the channels.
Frequently asked questions
Do tow truck drivers need a CDL?
Only for heavier trucks. FMCSA guidance says a Class B CDL is required when the tow truck alone is rated 26,001 pounds or more, and a Class A when the combination is 26,001 pounds or more and the towed vehicle is rated over 10,000 pounds. A light-duty wrecker or rollback under those thresholds needs no CDL unless it tows a placarded hazmat vehicle on a subsequent move.
How much do tow truck drivers make?
The BLS counts tow truck drivers within heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, whose 2025 median was $58,640. For heavy truck drivers working in support activities for road transportation, the industry group that includes towing, the May 2025 median was $48,810, or $23.47 an hour. Many tow companies pay hourly plus commission, so posted pay should spell out the formula.
Do tow truck drivers need endorsements on their CDL?
Not for emergency first moves. FMCSA guidance says a CDL tow operator limited to moving a vehicle from a breakdown or crash to the nearest appropriate repair facility needs no endorsements for the towed vehicle. Drivers who make subsequent moves between facilities need the endorsements that vehicle would require, except passenger and school bus endorsements.
How old do you have to be to drive a tow truck?
It depends on the truck and the route. A driver of a vehicle rated 10,001 pounds or more used in interstate commerce must be at least 21 under federal rules and needs a DOT medical certificate. For intrastate light-duty towing, the state and the company's insurer set the minimum age, so check both before writing it into the posting.
What does a tow truck driver job description need to include?
The truck type and the license it requires, the pay model with commission explained, the shift and on-call rotation, the kinds of calls, required checks such as MVR and drug testing, and any state tow operator license. Those items decide whether an experienced driver applies, and leaving any of them vague is the most common reason tow postings attract the wrong candidates.
Hiring the dispatcher who takes the calls? The dispatcher job description covers that role, and our driver qualification file checklist covers the paperwork for drivers of commercial motor vehicles.
Other job description templates
- CDL driver job description
- Dispatcher job description
- Diesel mechanic job description
- Tire technician job description
- Delivery driver job description
See all job description templates — free, editable templates for frontline, trades, healthcare and warehouse roles.
Hiring tow truck drivers?
The job description is the document; the ad is what gets read. We write it, run it where CDL and non-CDL drivers are actually scrolling, and report what each applicant cost — cost per applicant, not cost per hire.
CDL rules: FMCSA, Do tow truck operators need CDLs? and FMCSA, endorsements for tow truck operators (both issued March 1, 2019), 49 CFR 383.91, 383.5, 390.5, 391.11, 391.41 and Part 382; Texas licensing: TDLR. Pay and employment: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers (last modified August 27, 2026) and BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 53-3032 in NAICS 4884, read via the BLS OEWS data search; occupation definition: O*NET 53-3032.00. All read at source on September 28, 2026. Cost-per-applicant figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark (891 Boostpoint-managed campaigns on Meta) report-wide median only because the benchmark does not segment tow truck drivers; advertising costs only. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire. Updated September 2026.