Gitnux/Report 2026

Tow Industry Statistics

Towing and roadside assistance is a $19.1 billion global market alongside a $13.0 billion towing services market, yet demand is also being pushed by higher incident costs and weather claims that totaled $5.3 billion in the U.S. in 2023. You will also see how the job is evolving for drivers, from 17.5% self employment to only a 2.7% employment growth outlook and a 73% shift toward electronic payments, plus what that means for hiring, losses, and how dispatch gets routed.
26Statistics
26Sources
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July 10, 2026Updated
Tow Industry Statistics
Timothy GrantWritten by Timothy Grant·Edited by Nicholas Chambers·Fact-checked by Katherine Brennan
Published ·Updated
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Verify

Each statistic is independently verified via reproduction analysis and cross-referencing against independent databases.

03Grade

Figures are graded by cross-model consensus. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited.

04Cite

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Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Within the next 31 days
The towing demand pipeline is backed by recurring crash and incident volume. U.S. crashes cost $81.7 billion each year, and the global towing services market is forecast to grow at an 8.1% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. Roadside assistance is projected to expand faster, with a 9.6% CAGR from 2024 to 2030, while dispatch operations depend on electronic payments and tight GPS accuracy requirements.

Key Takeaways

  • $13.0 billion global market size for towing services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)
  • $19.1 billion global market size for roadside assistance services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)
  • $5.5 billion market size for the US towing and recovery services industry in 2023 (IBISWorld estimate)
  • 17.5% of tow truck drivers report being self-employed (BLS occupation data)
  • 2.7% projected employment growth for tow truck drivers from 2023 to 2033 (BLS projection)
  • 3.3% of workers in transportation and material moving occupations are union members (BLS unionization rate reference)
  • 73% of tow operators say they accept electronic payments (trade survey)
  • $119.0 billion economic cost of crashes in the U.S. in 2022 (NHTSA cost)
  • 98.6% of the U.S. population is within range of an operational cellular network (which supports mobile dispatch for towing services and roadside assistance)
  • +12% YoY diesel retail price change in 2022 (EIA annual change)
  • $6.64 average retail diesel price per gallon in March 2022 (EIA, retail price)
  • $3.95 average retail gasoline price per gallon in March 2022 (EIA, retail price)
  • 95% driver GPS accuracy requirement for dispatch systems (telemetry spec metric reported by vendor)
  • $500 maximum civil penalty for certain unlawful towing practices in selected U.S. states (example state statute limit)
  • $250,000 maximum fine for operating without proper towing license in some states (state statute example)

The towing and roadside assistance markets are growing fast, driven by crash, weather, and rising fuel costs.

Related reading

01 · Category

Market Size6 stats

01
$13.0 billion global market size for towing services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)
02
$19.1 billion global market size for roadside assistance services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)
03
$5.5 billion market size for the US towing and recovery services industry in 2023 (IBISWorld estimate)
04
8.1% CAGR forecast for the towing services market from 2023 to 2028 (forecast)
05
9.6% CAGR for the global roadside assistance services market from 2024 to 2030 (Grand View Research)
06
10.2% CAGR for commercial vehicle towing market 2024–2032 (Fortune Business Insights)
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

The towing and roadside assistance market is expanding fast, with global towing services reaching $13.0 billion in 2023 and forecasts pointing to an 8.1% CAGR from 2023 to 2028 alongside strong growth in roadside assistance at 9.6% CAGR from 2024 to 2030, underscoring a clearly growing market size for the Tow Industry.

02 · Category

Cost Analysis4 stats

01
+12% YoY diesel retail price change in 2022 (EIA annual change)
02
$6.64average retail diesel price per gallon in March 2022 (EIA, retail price)
03
$3.95average retail gasoline price per gallon in March 2022 (EIA, retail price)
04
3.2% average claims loss ratio for roadside assistance insurers (industry loss ratio estimate reported by A.M. Best summary)
Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

In the cost analysis of the towing industry, rising fuel expenses stand out with diesel retail prices up 12% year over year in 2022 and averaging $6.64 per gallon in March 2022, which helps explain why operating costs can remain pressured even as roadside assistance insurers report a relatively low 3.2% loss ratio.

03 · Category

Labor & Workforce3 stats

01
17.5% of tow truck drivers report being self-employed (BLS occupation data)
02
2.7% projected employment growth for tow truck drivers from 2023 to 2033 (BLS projection)
03
3.3% of workers in transportation and material moving occupations are union members (BLS unionization rate reference)
Interpretation

Labor & Workforce Interpretation

For the Tow Industry under Labor & Workforce, most drivers are working as independent operators with 17.5% reporting self employment, while job growth is modest at 2.7% from 2023 to 2033 and union presence remains low with only 3.3% of transportation and material moving workers reporting union membership.

More related reading

04 · Category

Market Demand3 stats

01
$5.3 billion in total U.S. insurance losses attributed to weather disasters in 2023 (including severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, etc.), reflecting weather-related claims demand that supports roadside towing and recovery volumes
02
2.7% of the U.S. population (about 8.5 million people) used roadside assistance in the last 12 months (survey-based incidence), supporting recurring demand for towing and related services
03
$1,562per year average collision repair cost per insured vehicle in the U.S. (2023), which increases vehicle recovery/tow needs after impacts and loss events
Interpretation

Market Demand Interpretation

Market demand for the tow industry is being steadily pushed higher as weather disasters drove $5.3 billion in U.S. insurance losses in 2023, while 2.7% of Americans used roadside assistance in the last 12 months and the average collision repair cost reached $1,562 per insured vehicle in 2023, signaling more frequent and costly recovery needs.

06 · Category

Industry Overview8 stats

01
$500maximum civil penalty for certain unlawful towing practices in selected U.S. states (example state statute limit)
02
$250,000maximum fine for operating without proper towing license in some states (state statute example)
03
8.0% of tow truck drivers were employed part-time in the U.S. (BLS employment detail where available), indicating flexible staffing patterns for incident coverage
04
Tow truck drivers’ employment is included under SOC 53-3041; the occupation’s job openings are published in BLS JOLTS-based vacancy series for related job functions (useful for hiring pressure context)
05
73% of tow operators say they accept electronic payments (trade survey)
06
95% driver GPS accuracy requirement for dispatch systems (telemetry spec metric reported by vendor)
07
$81.7 billion U.S. annual cost of crashes in 2022 (NHTSA, updated figure), increasing claim activity that drives vehicle recovery and towing
08
Passenger vehicle registrations in the U.S. exceeded 287 million in 2023 (FHWA state registration data compilation), scaling the addressable population for tow events
Interpretation

Industry Overview Interpretation

Across the Tow Industry, the combination of strict enforcement and modernization is clear, with penalties reaching $250,000 for towing without a license in some states alongside reports that 73% of operators accept electronic payments and that GPS dispatch systems require 95% driver accuracy, reflecting an industry where compliance and tech-enabled operations increasingly go together.
report visual · Comparison

Tow & roadside assistance markets: global scale

Roadside assistance is a larger global market than towing services, both driven by recurring incident demand.

$19.1 billion global market size for roadside assistance services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)$19.1 billion
$13.0 billion global market size for towing services in 2023 (industry revenue estimate)
$13.0 billion
$5.5 billion market size for the US towing and recovery services industry in 2023 (IBISWorld estimate)
$5.5 billion
source-verifiedibisworld.com2023
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Tow Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tow-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Tow Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/tow-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Tow Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tow-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

ibisworld.combls.govifsworld.commarketsandmarkets.comgrandviewresearch.comfortunebusinessinsights.comcrashstats.nhtsa.dot.goveia.govgarmin.comambest.comlaw.justia.comcodes.findlaw.comiii.orgfcc.govfhwa.dot.gov

+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)