Tow truck insurance quote: where to get one and what to ask

Where to get a tow truck insurance quote

The companies below publish dedicated towing programs and quote directly or through agents. It is not a complete list: MyNewMarkets, a directory agents use to find specialty insurers, returns 570 listings for tow truck insurance, 296 marked admitted and 236 non-admitted. Availability changes by state, so treat this as a starting point.

Which companies will quote your operation

Every towing insurer has an appetite: the fleet sizes, states and kinds of towing it wants to write. Matching your operation to the companies built for it saves time and gets you real quotes instead of declines.

• One or two light-duty trucks with clean records: start with national insurers. Progressive Commercial lists roadside service providers, auto club contractors, rotational towing and body shops among the businesses it covers.
• Northeast operators: Lancer writes towing only in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, covering flatbeds, wheel-lift and hook and chain trucks.
• Fleets of 15 or more power units: National Interstate’s towing program covers wreckers, heavy-duty recovery units, rollbacks and equipment haulers, and offers TowCap Premier, a group captive started in 2017 with a $100,000 retention.
• New operators, recent cancellations or repossession work: excess and surplus lines insurers such as Prime say they write risks other insurers turn away, but Prime also says it will not compete with other markets on premium.

Check the insurer’s financial strength first

A cheap quote from a weak insurer can cost you contracts. On August 28, 2026, AM Best downgraded Prime Insurance Company’s financial strength rating to B (Fair) from A- (Excellent) and kept it under review with negative implications. AM Best cited concerns about loss reserves: Prime reported $111 million of adverse reserve development in 2024 and another $78 million in the first six months of 2026. Comparison pages written earlier in 2026 may still show the older rating, so look it up yourself.

Ratings matter because contracts set minimums. Sacramento’s tow rotation agreement, for example, requires insurers with an AM Best rating of at least A:VI. Lancer, by comparison, advertises an A (Excellent) rating.

Also ask whether the policy is admitted or surplus lines. NerdWallet notes that surplus lines carriers are more likely to accept operators other insurers decline, but may carry more exclusions and cost more. Prime writes admitted commercial auto through a sister company in only nine states and offers no commercial auto in New York.

What motor clubs and regulators expect from your policy

If you take motor club calls, the club’s requirements decide what your quote must include. Agero’s published minimums for service providers are:

Agero says your company name and storage address on the certificate must match your application, and that minimums are higher in some states, including Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey and New Mexico. It also publishes a list of the insurers its network uses most, by state, which is a quick way to see who writes towing near you.

Federal rules add another floor. Progressive Commercial notes that for-hire tow trucks over 10,000 pounds subject to FMCSA rules need at least $750,000 of liability coverage, and that some locations set higher minimums.

• Commercial general liability: $300,000 to $1,000,000 per occurrence.
• Commercial auto liability: $300,000 to $1,000,000 combined single limit.
• On-hook: $100,000 to $150,000 per occurrence for any provider that tows.
• Garagekeepers: $100,000 to $150,000 per occurrence if you store vehicles.
• Workers’ compensation for employees, where applicable, and Agero named as additional insured on general and auto liability.

What tow truck insurance quotes cost

Progressive Commercial reports that new tow truck customers paid a median of $355 a month in 2025, while the average was $606 a month because a few expensive policies pull the average up. Progressive lists truck type and age, location, type of towing, driving records, claims history and coverage limits as the main price factors.

Quotes from different companies are only comparable when the coverage matches. A quote without on-hook or garagekeepers coverage will look cheaper than one that meets a motor club’s requirements.

How to compare tow truck insurance quotes

Use the same checklist for every quote you request:

Because many towing insurers sell only through agents, a broker such as Florin can compare quotes from several insurers for the same specifications.

• Quote identical limits: auto liability, on-hook per vehicle and garagekeepers, set to your highest contract requirement.
• Ask whether garagekeepers is legal liability, which pays only when you are at fault, or direct, which pays regardless of fault.
• Check the on-hook cap per vehicle. NerdWallet notes caps such as $50,000 or $100,000, which one luxury car can exceed.
• Confirm the AM Best rating and whether the policy is admitted.
• Ask how fast the insurer issues certificates and adds motor clubs or cities as additional insureds.
• Compare payment terms; National Interstate, for example, offers interest-free installment plans.
• Have your truck VINs and values, overnight parking addresses, towing radius, mix of light- and heavy-duty work, revenue and payroll ready.