The State of Towing 2026 Annual Report
144 towing and recovery professionals told us what their year really looked like. See what your peers paid for insurance, how much they raised prices, who they can't hire, and what they're doing with AI.
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- Benchmarks for shops under $1M, $1M to $10M, and $10M+
- Insurance renewal outcomes, and what moves underwriters
- Whether raising rates cost shops their calls
- Five operator interviews with practical advice
What stood out to me is how varied 2026 looks for differently sized businesses. Use this report to inspire business ideas, make the case for a change you've been considering, or just confirm you're not the only one dealing with common challenges.
Towing in 2026, in four numbers
saw insurance premiums rise at their last renewal. 14% lost a carrier.
raised prices in the past 12 months. Most kept it to 10% or less.
got at least one unsolicited offer to buy their business.
are using or testing AI, up from about one in ten a year ago.
Source: Autura State of Towing survey, 144 towing and recovery professionals in the U.S. and Canada, July to September 2026.
Built from what real towers told us
Not a sales pitch. Real numbers from 144 towing and recovery professionals, paired with advice from people who run towing businesses every day.
Compare your shop to operators under $1M, $1M to $10M, and $10M+.
Every chapter ends with practical steps you can take this quarter.
Operators and executives on insurance, selling, impound, laws, and AI.
Open-ended answers on the biggest challenges and opportunities of the year.
Six chapters, one question: how does your shop compare?
One theme runs through all of them: mid-size operators ($1M to $10M) are pulling ahead, and smaller shops are feeling more squeeze with fewer tools to absorb it.
Money matters
77% saw premiums rise at renewal and 14% lost a carrier. 65% raised prices, mostly by 10% or less, and the shops that raised rates 5% to 20% were more likely to be busier, not slower.
Two speeds
Mid-size shops are busier, earn more from commercial and rotation work, and are fielding far more offers to sell: 84% got one, against 43% of shops under $1M. Understand what buyers look for.
Team and talent
Light-duty drivers are the hardest role to hire and keep. 55% of employers raised base pay, and the report breaks down every other retention step they tried.
The impound yard
Half of yard operators lose money or break even on impound work. Profitable yards track one number that most money-losing yards don't, and a fleet CEO explains how to start the clock at the gate.
Rules and regulations
61% say price or storage fee limits affect their business, followed by predatory towing rules and EV towing and storage. An owner lays out how towers can shape the rules before they're written.
Tow tech talk
One in three respondents now use or test AI, mostly for invoices, lien letters, and listings. See what they plan to automate next, and where the industry says AI shouldn't go yet.
Straight talk from people who run towing businesses
Each chapter pairs the data with an operator who has lived it.
"AI won't hook a car or work a rollover, but it will influence who wins in this industry."
"Run your business like you're going to sell it tomorrow."
"Aging inventory is capital that belongs in your bank account, not your yard."
"The rules governing this industry are going to change either way."
Real numbers from the people doing the work
This third edition is based on 144 complete survey responses from towing and recovery professionals across the United States and Canada, collected July 23 to September 29, 2026. More than half are owners, and half have been in business at least 25 years.
We group results by annual revenue so you can compare yourself to shops your size. Results describe the people who responded, not the whole industry, and every chart in the report shows its base.
The State of Towing, answered
It is Autura's third annual report on the towing and recovery industry. It is based on survey responses from 144 towing and recovery professionals in the United States and Canada, collected between July 23 and September 29, 2026, and paired with commentary from industry operators. Six chapters cover costs and insurance, business volume and acquisitions, staffing, impound yards, laws and regulations, and technology and AI.
Rising business expenses and insurance. Rising expenses made the top three challenges for 86% of respondents and insurance for 81%. Insurance was ranked the number one challenge most often (42% of respondents). Hiring and retention made the top three for 62%.
77% of respondents saw premiums rise at their last renewal. For 28% the increase was 10% or less, for 32% it was 11% to 25%, and 17% saw increases above 25%. Only 7% saw premiums go down. 27% also had deductibles raised and 14% lost a carrier.
Yes. 65% of respondents raised prices in the past 12 months, and another 16% raised some prices while holding others. Seven in ten of those who raised prices kept the increase to 10% or less. Respondents who raised prices 5% to 20% were more likely to be busier than a year ago (50%) than slower (27%).
About one in three. 12% of respondents actively use AI and 21% are testing it, up from about one in ten who mentioned exploring it in 2025. The most common use is writing invoices, lien letters and auction listings (31%).
144 towing and recovery professionals in the United States and Canada. 57% are owners. 38% run businesses with under $1 million in annual revenue, 43% are between $1 million and $10 million, and 7% are above $10 million.
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