Tow truck insurance in Florida
Tow truck insurance protects a wrecker or car carrier and the customer vehicles you tow or store. Beyond auto liability and physical damage, towing businesses add on-hook coverage for the vehicle on your hook and garagekeepers coverage for cars in your lot. Florida requires PIP and property damage liability, and local towing programs add rules. Available in English or Spanish.
What coverage does a tow truck business need?
A towing business usually needs four building blocks: auto liability and physical damage for the truck, on-hook coverage for the vehicle being towed, and garagekeepers coverage for vehicles in your yard.
| Coverage | What it pays for | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Auto liability | Injuries and property damage your wrecker or driver causes to other people. | While the tow truck is on the road, loaded or empty. |
| Physical damage | Repair or replacement of your tow truck, and attached equipment if the policy includes it. | After a collision, theft, fire or other covered loss. |
| On-hook (towing) coverage | Damage to a customer's vehicle while you tow or haul it, from covered causes such as collision, fire or theft, up to the policy limit. | The vehicle is hooked up or loaded on your truck. |
| Garagekeepers coverage | Damage to customers' vehicles while they are in your care at your yard, shop or lot. | A vehicle is stored, held or worked on at your location. |
| General liability | Injuries and property damage from your business operations away from the road, such as a visitor hurt in your yard. | Customers or visitors come to your location. |
| Workers' compensation | Medical care and lost-wage benefits for employees hurt on the job, including roadside work. | Florida employers with four or more employees outside construction. |
What is the difference between on-hook and garagekeepers coverage?
On-hook coverage protects a customer's vehicle while it is attached to or loaded on your truck, and garagekeepers coverage protects it while it is in your care at your yard or shop.
Why auto liability usually does not cover the vehicle you tow
Liability policies commonly exclude damage to property in the insured's care, custody or control, which includes a customer's car on your hook. On-hook and garagekeepers coverage are designed to fill that gap.
Legal liability or direct coverage
Garagekeepers coverage is commonly written in two ways. Legal liability forms pay only when you are legally responsible for the damage. Direct forms can pay for damage to a customer's vehicle even when you are not at fault. Ask which form a quote includes and what limit applies to each vehicle.
Sources, checked October 20, 2026
What does Florida require for tow trucks?
Every registered tow truck needs Florida PIP and property damage liability, and wreckers with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or more must also meet Florida's higher combined liability minimums.
| Tow truck | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Any registered tow truck | $10,000 of PIP and $10,000 of property damage liability |
| Commercial or qualified motor vehicle, gross vehicle weight 26,000 pounds or more, but less than 35,000 pounds | $50,000 per occurrence of combined bodily injury and property damage liability, in addition to the line above |
| Gross vehicle weight 35,000 pounds or more, but less than 44,000 pounds | $100,000 per occurrence, combined |
| Gross vehicle weight 44,000 pounds or more | $300,000 per occurrence, combined |
Heavy-duty wreckers rated 26,001 pounds GVWR or more need a driver with a CDL. Light-duty wreckers and car carriers rated below that line generally do not. See Fla. Stat. 627.7415 (opens in a new tab) and Fla. Stat. 322.01 (opens in a new tab).
Sources, checked October 20, 2026
- Fla. Stat. 627.733, required security (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. 627.736, PIP benefits (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. 324.022, property damage liability (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. 627.7415, commercial motor vehicle liability (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. 322.01, driver license definitions (opens in a new tab)
- 49 CFR 383.5, CDL definitions (opens in a new tab)
What do tow programs and Miami-Dade County require?
Miami-Dade County requires any person or company that operates a towing business in the county to apply for a towing license, and the application includes a certificate of insurance in the type and amounts set by County Code section 30-465.
- Miami-Dade County: the license application asks for a certificate of insurance, and the county points to Code section 30-465 for the type and amounts. The county's towing page points to amended rules, so check it for the current requirements.
- Florida's wrecker operator system law (Fla. Stat. 323.002): when a driver flags down a wrecker operator who is not part of a city or county wrecker system at a wreck scene, that operator must disclose in writing, among other things, whether it has at least $300,000 of liability insurance and $50,000 of on-hook cargo insurance. That is a disclosure rule, not a general minimum for every towing business.
- Other counties and cities have their own towing rules and programs. Motor clubs and dispatch networks also publish their own insurance requirements, so ask each one for its written requirements before you choose limits.
Send us the program's insurance requirements and we will compare quotes that meet them.
What affects tow truck insurance rates?
Tow truck rates follow the kind of towing you do, the value of the vehicles you handle and whether you store them.
Type of towing
Light-duty roadside help is rated differently from heavy-duty recovery.
Value of the vehicles you tow
On-hook limits are set against the vehicles you typically tow.
Storage
Whether you hold vehicles in a yard, how it is secured and how many vehicles sit there at once.
Driver records and experience
Violations, accidents and years of towing experience for each driver.
Radius and type of calls
Short local tows, highway recovery and longer hauls rate differently.
Truck values, claims and years in business
Replacement cost of each wrecker, prior loss runs and how long you have operated.
We do not publish prices because they depend on these details. Send your information and an agent will compare quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does tow truck insurance cost?
There is no standard monthly or yearly price for tow truck insurance in Florida. It depends mainly on the type of towing you do, the value of the vehicles you tow, whether you store customer vehicles in a yard, and your drivers' records. A licensed agent can quote it with several insurers once you share your trucks, drivers and services.
Does my auto liability policy cover the car I am towing?
Usually not. Liability policies commonly exclude damage to property in your care, custody or control, which includes the vehicle on your hook. On-hook coverage is designed to cover that vehicle while you tow it, subject to its limit and exclusions. Ask each quote what the on-hook limit is for each vehicle.
Do I need garagekeepers insurance if I store customers' vehicles?
If customer vehicles sit in your yard, shop or lot, garagekeepers coverage is the coverage designed for damage to them while in your care. Limits usually follow the value and number of vehicles you hold at one time. A licensed agent can quote it together with your tow truck policy.
Do I need a license to operate a towing business in Miami-Dade?
Miami-Dade County says any person or corporation that operates a towing business in the county must apply for a towing license, and the application requires a certificate of insurance in the type and amounts set by County Code section 30-465. The county's page points to amended towing rules, so confirm the current requirements before you apply.
What insurance limits do motor clubs and towing programs ask for?
It varies by program, and we cannot list one number that fits them all. Motor clubs, dispatch networks and city or county programs publish their own requirements, often covering liability, on-hook and garagekeepers limits. Send us the written requirement and we will compare quotes that meet it.
Can you send a certificate of insurance to a property manager or towing program?
Yes. Send the certificate holder's name and address, plus any wording the program requires, by WhatsApp or email, and we will request the certificate from the insurer. Programs sometimes ask for extra wording, such as additional insured status, so include their insurance requirements with your request.
This page is general information, not a coverage recommendation. Requirements and policies vary; a licensed Assure US agent will review your vehicles, drivers and operations.
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