The parts of a towing bill

1. The hook fee, or base charge

This covers getting the truck to you and loading your vehicle. For a standard car or light truck in the Pueblo area, a typical base charge runs roughly $75 to $125. It is the fixed part of almost every tow.

2. Mileage

Most tows add a per mile charge for the distance the vehicle is hauled, commonly in the range of $3 to $5 per mile in this market. A tow from the East Side to a shop on the north side might add only a few miles. A tow to Colorado Springs adds about 45 miles, which is why long distance tows are priced as one full number up front.

3. The work at the scene

A car that rolls onto the truck is the simple case. Extra work adds cost:

• Winch time: pulling a vehicle out of a ditch, snow, or mud before it can be loaded. See winch outs.
• Wreck handling: a crashed car with locked wheels, a bent axle, or a missing wheel needs skates, dollies, and more time. See accident towing.
• After hours: nights, weekends, and holidays commonly carry a higher rate than a weekday tow. A 2 a.m. call takes a driver out of bed, and the price reflects that.
• Vehicle size: a loaded work truck, a dually, or a big SUV takes a heavier truck and more care than a small sedan.

4. Service calls instead of a tow

Not every call needs the truck to haul anything. Jump starts, lockout openings, and tire changes are priced as service calls, typically less than a tow because there is no mileage and no loading. If a service call turns into a tow anyway, for example a jump start that reveals a dead alternator, the tow is priced on the phone before it happens.

Worked examples, using typical ranges

• Breakdown across town, weekday: base charge plus about 6 loaded miles. Typically about $95 to $155 all in.
• Breakdown on I-25, towed into town at night: base charge, after hours rate, plus mileage. Typically about $130 to $200.
• Tow to Colorado Springs: base charge plus about 45 miles. Typically about $225 to $350, quoted as one number before the run.
• Jump start at home: a service call, typically about $50 to $85.
• Car out of a ditch, then towed: winch time plus the tow. Typically about $150 to $275 depending on how deep and how far.

These are illustrations using the ranges above, not promises. Vehicle size, exact distance, weather, and scene conditions all move the real number. The protection you have is simple: your price is agreed on the phone before dispatch, and that agreed price is the bill.

Ways to keep a tow bill down

• Know where the car is going before you call. A tow to the nearest good shop almost always costs less than a tow home followed by a second tow to a shop later.
• Check your coverage. Many insurance policies and motor club memberships include towing. If you have it, use it, or ask for a receipt to file for reimbursement.
• Describe the vehicle honestly. A price set for a sedan that turns out to be a loaded one ton truck has to be reset at the scene, which wastes everyone's time.
• Handle the simple stuff simply. A dead battery needs a jump, not a tow, when the car is otherwise healthy.

Questions about a price you were quoted

If any part of a quote does not make sense, ask on the phone: what is the base charge, what is the mileage, and is anything else included? A fair tow price can always be explained in one sentence each. That is the standard this site works to, and the cost of every job here is set before the truck moves.