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Utah towing operator guide
Utah Tow Truck Business Requirements and Insurance
Operating a tow truck in Utah involves more than buying a truck and a commercial auto policy. A towing company may need driver, truck, and company certifications, required truck equipment, federal motor-carrier records, insurance that matches the certification and every dispatch relationship, and extra procedures for rotations, storage, or nonconsensual towing. This guide walks through the requirements that may apply to your operation — and where insurance fits into each step.
Redoubt is a Utah commercial insurance agency. We help interpret insurance and certificate requirements. UDOT, the FMCSA, local agencies, and your legal adviser remain the authoritative sources for regulatory questions.
Start here
Where are you in the towing-business process?
Different towing operations create different certification, insurance, and contract requirements. Start with the situation closest to yours.
Start a new towing company
Follow the sequence from forming the company and registering as a motor carrier to certifying the driver, truck, and business.
Go to sectionBuy or insure a tow truck
See what the truck needs before a UDOT inspection, a lender, or an insurer will sign off.
Go to sectionAdd a driver
Review certification, license class, medical card, background check, and how the insurer views the MVR.
Go to sectionJoin a police rotation
Understand how certifications, liability limits, storage, and response requirements connect to rotation access.
Go to sectionSign a motor-club contract
Work from the contract’s actual insurance limits, on-hook requirements, and certificate wording.
Go to sectionAdd storage or impound work
See how storing customer vehicles changes the insurance program and the operating procedures.
Go to sectionUnderstand on-hook coverage
Learn which vehicle on-hook protects, when it applies, and how to choose a limit.
Go to sectionRenew or replace insurance
Assemble the drivers, trucks, operations, and loss history a usable submission needs.
Go to sectionDefine the operation
First, define what the towing company actually does
“Towing company” is not a single insurance or regulatory classification. Roadside assistance, consensual towing, police rotations, private-property impounds, storage yards, repair shops, and heavy recovery each present a different risk — and a different set of requirements. Before working through coverage or certification, document how jobs arrive, what vehicles are handled, what happens after pickup, and whether the company ever stores customer vehicles.
Consensual towing
The customer, insurer, repair facility, or vehicle owner requests the tow and the vehicle is delivered promptly.
Police-generated towing
A law-enforcement agency dispatches the operator for crashes, disabled vehicles, arrests, or impounds — usually with response-time, storage, and reporting expectations.
Private-property towing
A property owner or authorized agent requests removal of a vehicle. Authorization, notices, releases, and disputes need documented procedures.
Storage and impound
Customer vehicles remain in the company’s custody after the tow. The exposure becomes the combined value of everything in the yard.
Repair shop plus towing
The same business tows vehicles and then diagnoses, repairs, or test-drives them — which raises garage-liability questions.
Medium- and heavy-duty recovery
Commercial vehicles, buses, tractor-trailers, and equipment, sometimes with rotators, cargo, or spill cleanup.
Starting a Utah towing company
The basic Utah towing-company setup sequence
The precise order can vary, but a commercial Utah towing operation generally needs to coordinate the company, the drivers, the trucks, the motor-carrier records, the insurance, and the operating procedures. Completing one part does not authorize the whole operation.
- 1
Establish the business and motor-carrier identity
Form the legal business and identify which federal and Utah motor-carrier registrations apply: USDOT number, interstate versus intrastate status, MC authority, MCS-150 updates, Unified Carrier Registration, and vehicle markings. The name and entity on registrations, insurance, markings, contracts, and certifications should match.
- 2
Certify each driver
UDOT expects tow truck drivers to maintain an approved tow-operator certification, the correct license class for the vehicle, the required criminal-background clearance, and applicable FMCSA compliance, including a medical examiner’s certificate where required.
- 3
Certify each truck
The truck must be equipped, maintained, and documented for its intended use — capacity documentation included. Buying a truck does not by itself make it ready for Utah towing operations.
- 4
Certify the towing company
The company application ties drivers, trucks, insurance, records, rates, receipts, and motor-carrier compliance together. UDOT’s checklist includes a current MCS-150, proper company-name and USDOT markings, UCR payment where applicable, insurance, and an MCS-90. Truck and company certifications are valid for two years from issuance.
- 5
Establish operating procedures
Before accepting calls, set procedures for dispatch, vehicle-condition documentation, towing authorization, custody and storage, customer releases, receipts, fee posting, claims, and after-hours contact.
Confirm the current certification checklist with the UDOT Tow Truck Team
Truck and driver requirements
What the truck and the driver each need
UDOT’s inspection looks at safety equipment, truck condition, securement equipment, and documented capacity — and the driver needs their own certification independent of the truck.
Tow truck inspection readiness
- Warning and roadside-safety equipment — amber warning light, cones or triangles, safety vest, rated fire extinguisher
- Securement and recovery equipment — tie-down chains or straps, safety chains, wheel chocks, door and steering ties
- Cleanup equipment — shovel, broom, oil absorbent, debris container
- Capacity documentation — GVWR, boom or bed, and wheel-lift capacity plates or documentation
- Vehicle condition — lights, tires, wipers, securement, and a current annual safety inspection
UDOT publishes the official equipment form — confirm the current requirements before scheduling an inspection.
Tow truck driver readiness
- An approved tow-operator certification
- The correct license class for the truck being operated
- The required criminal-background clearance
- A medical examiner’s certificate where required
- A driving record the insurer will accept
Driver-certification duration depends on the certifying entity — track expirations alongside insurance renewals, because a lapsed driver certification and an unacceptable MVR each stall the operation in different ways.
Coverage conversation
Towing insurance follows the custody of the vehicle
The easiest way to understand a towing insurance program is to follow three pieces of property through one job: the tow truck, other people and their property, and the customer vehicle being loaded, transported, and sometimes stored.
Tow truck driving
Commercial auto liability and physical damage
Customer vehicle being loaded or transported
On-hook towing coverage
Customer vehicle stored at your premises
Garagekeepers coverage
Roadside work not arising from driving
Roadside general liability
An employee injured while working
Workers’ compensation analysis
Commercial auto liability
Core coverage for tow trucks used in business operations. Required limits may vary by vehicle, operation, contract, and jurisdiction.
Physical damage
May help protect the tow truck itself from collision, theft, fire, vandalism, weather, and other covered losses.
On-hook towing
May help address damage to a customer vehicle while it is being towed.
Garagekeepers
May be relevant if customer vehicles are stored or kept on your property.
Roadside general liability
May help with non-auto injury or property damage claims arising from roadside service operations.
Workers’ compensation
May be required if the business has employees or if a contract asks for proof of coverage.
On-hook coverage
What does on-hook towing coverage protect?
On-hook coverage is intended to address damage to the customer vehicle while it is being towed. It is separate from liability for damage the truck causes to others and from physical-damage coverage on the truck itself — one accident can produce three distinct property claims. Choosing the limit starts with the highest-value vehicle you expect to tow, not the average one.
Coverage guide
On-hook towing coverage: limits, loading, and common gaps
How the coverage works, how to choose a limit, what to confirm about loading and unloading, and how it differs from garagekeepers.
Read the on-hook guideUtah insurance requirements
Utah towing-company insurance requirements
UDOT’s company-certification guidance currently distinguishes between carriers performing only police-generated towing and carriers performing all types of towing:
$750,000
Liability for carriers performing police-generated tows only.
$1,000,000
Liability for carriers performing all types of tows.
UDOT also expects the carrier to keep an MCS-90 at its principal place of business. These amounts are certification requirements — contracts, vehicle financing, or other regulations may require more. Confirm the current amounts with UDOT before relying on them.
Four things not to confuse
Liability limit
The amount of liability insurance the operation or a contract requires.
MCS-90
A federal endorsement tied to public-liability and environmental-restoration obligations. It is not a substitute for a complete towing insurance program.
Certificate of insurance
Evidence of specified policy information at a point in time. It does not broaden the policy.
Additional insured endorsement
A policy endorsement giving defined status to another organization. Naming a certificate holder is not the same thing.
Rotations and dispatch relationships
Insurance can decide whether you get the calls
A tow truck earns only when it is dispatched. Police departments, motor clubs, dealerships, repair shops, property managers, insurers, and fleets each set their own participation requirements — so the question is not only “am I insured?” but “does my insurance satisfy the dispatch source I want to work with?”
Police rotations
A rotation may require active company, driver, and truck certifications, minimum liability limits, on-hook or garagekeepers limits, a certificate of insurance, additional insured wording, storage capability, defined response times, specific truck classes, and 24-hour availability. Utah also requires tow-truck motor carriers to report the dispatch and rotation services they belong to at least once per calendar quarter.
Motor clubs and roadside networks
Motor clubs impose their own insurance limits, territory, service-level, driver, equipment, background-check, and certificate requirements. Do not infer them from another operator’s policy — send the current contract or provider packet and work from its actual language.
Police-generated and private-property towing also carry Utah fee limits and receipt, rate-posting, and release rules. UDOT publishes the current maximum-rate schedule.
Storage and impound
What changes when you store customer vehicles
A towing business becomes a different risk when vehicles remain in its custody after transportation. The insurance question moves beyond the value of one vehicle on a truck to the combined value of every customer vehicle that could sit in the yard at once — plus a premises, access control, releases, and security.
What underwriters ask about a storage yard
- Storage-yard address and whether storage is indoor or outdoor
- Maximum number of vehicles and maximum combined value at one time
- Fence, gates, lighting, cameras, and alarms
- Key-control procedures
- Release and after-hours procedures
- Fire protection
- Multiple storage locations, if any
- Vehicle-condition documentation at pickup and release
On-hook vs. garagekeepers
On-hook: the customer vehicle is being towed.
Garagekeepers: the customer vehicle is parked or stored at the business location.
The exact boundary depends on the policy wording — confirm both when storage enters the operation.
On-hook coverage guideInsurance submission checklist
Information needed to quote a towing operation
Towing submissions stall when the operation is described only as “one tow truck.” A usable submission explains the whole custody and revenue model.
Company
- Legal name and DBA
- Years in business and prior towing experience
- Business address and storage locations
- USDOT and MC numbers, if applicable
- Current carrier, renewal date, and loss runs
Operations
- Work mix: roadside, consensual, police, private property, auction, salvage, repossession, repair
- Revenue split, radius, and territory
- Dispatch sources and contracts
- Light-, medium-, or heavy-duty work
- Maximum value of any vehicle towed
- Maximum combined value stored
Trucks
- VIN, year, make, and model
- Truck type and GVWR
- Bed, boom, and wheel-lift capacity
- Stated value and financing or loss-payee details
- Permanently attached equipment
Drivers
- Name and date of birth
- License state and number, CDL class if applicable
- Tow-operator certification and medical card
- Driving experience and MVR
- Employment status
Requested coverage
- Auto liability limit
- Physical damage and deductibles
- On-hook limit
- Garagekeepers limit and form
- Roadside general liability and workers’ compensation
- Additional insureds, required filings, and effective date
Send the requirements
Send the requirement, not a guess.
Have a rotation packet, motor-club contract, dealership requirement, or a renewal coming up? Send Redoubt the trucks, drivers, operation details, and the written insurance requirement, and we’ll help you understand what it is asking for.
Start with three quick questions
Step 1 of 425%
What type of towing work do you do?
Frequently asked questions
Utah towing business FAQ
What certifications does a Utah towing company need?+
UDOT’s program covers three layers: driver certification, tow truck certification, and towing-company certification. Truck and company certifications are valid for two years from issuance, while driver-certification duration depends on the certifying entity. Confirm the current checklist with the UDOT Tow Truck Team.
Does every tow truck driver need certification?+
UDOT expects tow truck carriers to ensure drivers maintain an approved certification, the correct license class, the required background clearance, and applicable FMCSA compliance, including a medical examiner’s certificate where required. Confirm how the requirements apply to your specific drivers with UDOT.
How much liability insurance does a Utah towing company need?+
UDOT’s current company-certification guidance lists $750,000 in liability for carriers performing police-generated tows only and $1,000,000 for carriers performing all types of tows. Contracts, lenders, or other regulations may require more, so treat these as certification requirements rather than a complete program.
What is an MCS-90, and why does UDOT ask for it?+
The MCS-90 is a federal endorsement connected to public-liability and environmental-restoration obligations for motor carriers. UDOT’s company-certification checklist expects the carrier to maintain one at its principal place of business. It is not a substitute for on-hook, garagekeepers, or the rest of a towing insurance program.
What insurance does a police rotation require?+
Each agency sets its own rotation requirements — commonly active certifications, minimum liability limits, on-hook or garagekeepers limits, certificates of insurance, additional insured wording, storage capability, and response times. Get the agency’s current packet and work from its actual language.
Does a towing company need workers’ compensation?+
If the business has employees, Utah workers’ compensation requirements generally apply, and many rotations and contracts ask for proof regardless. How owners, family members, and 1099 drivers are treated depends on the setup, so the worker arrangement should be reviewed rather than assumed.
Can a repair shop add towing to its existing insurance?+
Sometimes, but not automatically. Towing adds commercial auto, on-hook, and often garagekeepers exposures that a shop policy may not address. Send the current policy and a description of the towing work before assuming it is covered.
What information is needed to quote tow truck insurance?+
The trucks (VIN, type, GVWR, value, financing), the drivers (license, MVR, certification), the operation (work mix, radius, dispatch sources, storage), loss history, and the limits or endorsements any contract requires. The checklist on this page walks through the full list.
Who should I contact to confirm a Utah towing regulatory requirement?+
UDOT’s Motor Carrier Division Tow Truck Team administers driver, truck, and company certification; the FMCSA handles federal registration; and individual agencies set rotation rules. Redoubt can help with the insurance side, but regulatory questions should be confirmed with the agency that owns them.
Requirements review
Starting or expanding a Utah towing company?
Send Redoubt the trucks, drivers, operation details, current policy, and any written contract or rotation requirements. We’ll help you understand what the insurance side needs before you guess at coverage.