$40,000 tow (50 mins total, Port to Port)
Posted by KnownAdvantage5366@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 114 comments
Work for a trucking company in their maintenance department. Driver side swiped a pole on a poorly executed left hand turn and cut her belly lines. Very minor damage structurally to the trailer and the pole.
This company claimed to be on scene for a police call out. They then proceeded to try to trans load material from the incident trailer to their own unit, claiming the incident unit was unsafe to tow.
Eventually when we threatened to send a different vendor out to just tow unit, they budged and towed unit to where we wanted it.
Just an FYI to anyone in Chicago area. These guys are crooks. Thought this would be an entertaining invoice lol.
Waisted-Desert@reddit
The thing is insurance will often pay this or negotiate a 10-20% reduction.
hawkeye053@reddit
$695/hr? I’m in the wrong profession!
_Roba@reddit
It's crazy how businesses do this, because salary this and standby that and emergency call blahblah. And then pay the emergency call workers who do the actual job $100/h tops.
im-not-a-fakebot@reddit
Each of the workers are probably 25-30
dirty_hooker@reddit
Nah. I was light duty making ~$28/hr average per paycheck. Thing is that towing is a ‘when it rains it pours’ thing. You can make 3/4 of your income in six months in the winter and then lose your ass in April. Some calls pay half minimum wage but you have to take them if you want to be there on the night you make $100/hr take-home.
nomadakai@reddit
Why fuck AAA? Genuinely curious, I’ve only ever had good experiences as an end user.
Nero-Danteson@reddit
Because they give a flat rate to AAA, who will fight on behalf of the end users. Said End user forgot to mention that their serpentine belt snapped and they're in a ditch when they called to get jump started.
Ornery_Ads@reddit
I wonder how much of that is the customer and how much of that was AAA dispatch.
I remember my father ran out of gas once, told AAA that he needed gas, but they dispatched it as a flatbed tow.
TimTows@reddit
A lot of companies that work with AAA don't do fuel deliveries, so if no company in the area does fuel delivery, they send a tow truck.
dirty_hooker@reddit
You send a tow truck regardless. Customers will absolutely call for a jumpstart after they cranked the battery to death because there was no fuel in the tank. I’m not making two trips and I’m not carrying around gasoline for fun. Hell, half the time it’s faster and safer to just load them up and tow to a gas station. No gas soaked gloves either.
TimTows@reddit
Well yeah, you're definitely driving the tow truck there no matter, but if the company doesn't do fuel delivery, the only option is a tow. I'm sure I don't have to mention how difficult getting addons from AAA is anyway. If I do a fuel delivery that turns into a tow, I need a separate ticket from AAA.
dirty_hooker@reddit
AAA basically tries to crush their contractors by leveraging them against each other into the dirt. They actively send their customers into danger based on policy. They put demands on the end operators as if they are employees though they are only contractors.
They used to be great but they became run by mindless bean counters. Basic enshitification BS.
PlasmaTabletop@reddit
100 combined
Tricky_Big_8774@reddit
That's expensive, but not massively outside the norm. The issue with this invoice is all the other fees.
Blue_Collar_Golf@reddit
695 per guy? I'd get it for 5 guys at 140/hr/each but $695/hr per guy seems insane for "labor" and not some sort of rigging specialist.
dirty_hooker@reddit
It’s super dangerous, chaotic, and people hate you without ever having met you. Hours suck hind teat. It’s more deadly than LEO or Fire.
Ornery_Ads@reddit
We're not talking about $695/hr for a rotator or even for a wrecker...its $695/hr for a lumper that was supposed to transload cargo from one trailer to another.
You say it's a bad job, so let's assume it pays $130k annually. That worker would be earning their salary every 3.6 hours.
You don't think that's absurd...for an unskilled laborer to transload cargo?
dirty_hooker@reddit
No, I never said it’s a bad job. It’s a very dangerous job that makes person give serious concessions.
Also where does it say what the nature of the work was? If those lumpers also happen to be able to operate a rotator / check rigging / have their Class A + Hazmat, then they’re not unskilled, they’re skilled workers doing a low skill task that is part of the same job.
Also, uh, math? Even if they were getting that full $695 for 3.6 hours, that $2.5k not $130k.
Ornery_Ads@reddit
"They then proceeded to try to trans load material from the incident trailer to their own unit."
They should go get a job at McDonald's then...it would probably be an easier, less dangerous job...and they should still get $700/hr, right?
$6953.6=$2,50252=$130,104=~$130k
Their salary for that week would be...~$2,500 if they earm $130k annually.
Lets be real here. This invoice is a scam and a ripoff.
I called a heavy wrecker when an employee got a truck stuck last year. It was $175/hr, about 30 minutes to get to the truck, an hour to get the truck out, and 30 minutes to get back to the yard. $350 total.
If this company took the call, it's $4,500 to call the truck, $3,000 for the truck to have a driver, $4,000 for a truck that they aren't even going to send, $3,500 to unspool a cable, $1,200 to exist, and $800 to fuel the truck....so thats $17,000 if I did the math right.
dirty_hooker@reddit
$40k is potentially obscene. I wasn’t there.
You do understand that there is no salary and that call may be the only call you get that week, right? Yes, that can lead to some shady numbers. Run it by that state’s PUC.
I’ve run up some pretty hefty tow bills that would cause a lot of sticker shock if you weren’t there to see why. People will call in a a “tire change” that’s actually an extrication eight miles beyond the trailhead. There’s also “fuck off” pricing. As in “we’re busy; call someone else unless you want to pay us something stupid.”
Separate-Sky-1412@reddit
Aren't LEO literally on the same scene as those wreckers when they have to haul away semis?
dirty_hooker@reddit
Yes, but people respond to red and blue lights while ignoring amber. A lot of states are amending codes to allow tow Ops to use blue where they were not prior. I typically would call the local LEOs for lights and cover if I was going to be working in a sketchy situation. There’s also crush risks, lack of bulletproof vests, and heart attacks with physical labor and no physical mandates.
Police also spend way more time in training. Tow shops will take anyone willing to do the work. There’s also a matter of work hours. Emergency workers that are intrastate are absolved from hour maximums. You might easily be running 16-20+ hours a day for a week in a snow storm. The $/ call rather than $/hr incentivizes sketchy behavior. There’s a lot of reasons (some of them stupid) that cause tow ops to be KIA at a higher rate than LEO or fire.
Tricky_Big_8774@reddit
The way it's supposed to work is one guy per wrecker. We paid ~$500/hr when someone decided to test the integrity of my fuel tank at 45 mph. But that's all we paid.
Agamemnon323@reddit
But that’s supposed to be $500/hr for everything. That would make this bill a total of $500. Not $40,000.
Tricky_Big_8774@reddit
That's what I said. The hourly is normalish. It's everything else that's out of place. And there's no way it would just be $500. It's billed from when they leave the yard til when they get back, unless they're dropping it and going straight to another call.
Agamemnon323@reddit
But that’s still not normal hourly. That’s $3500/hr for one wrecker.
Tricky_Big_8774@reddit
Well according to that bill, there were 5 wreckers.
Agamemnon323@reddit
It says 5 men not five wreckers.
coppertech@reddit
the people actully doin the work are makin prob $22-30/hr
MajorHymen@reddit
Shit screw buying a house I’ll take a mortgage out on a wrecker and live in the thing for $650 an hour
OkSalt4691@reddit
Air line parts and labor? With that the air lines and fittings should be made out of gold. They asked a 5 year old to write the numbers down and thats the invoice they sent 🤣
OkSalt4691@reddit
How many miles for $800 worth of fuel for how much miles? He refines his own diesel?
ViscosityAE@reddit
Heavy towing is in another league. Yeah this is crazy and definitely some bogus charges but, you know what the note on that truck costs? Could be a 750k-1m dollar truck, key turns it needs to pay for itself. Just saying 🤷🏻♂️
Socketz11@reddit
Tow Truck drivers should wear the black and white striped shirts and bandit masks so you can see them coming.
love_truck@reddit
Post pictures of the accident before I make a judgment call.
Illustrious-Debt-156@reddit
We likely need some regulation to be in place here, a lot of these tow companies are predatory. If you are a trucking company, call your insurance agent today, I bet you only have 5-15k for towing from an accident. Most realistic tow bills from serious accidents range from $25-35k.
Get more coverage.
TheTrueace16@reddit
Tmc got charged 40k for a flat bed that got stuck on a dirt road. Appearantly 2 wreckers were there all day getting it out
Southphilly24shyt@reddit
Could buy another truck with that.
Brisk907@reddit
Here in the northeast I've used B&L or Mike's heavy towing and never got charged like this!
nortyflatz@reddit
How many drivers keep $40k cash, in their cabs?
Yeah, lots of 'em. That's why we live like we do, because we're loaded with cash. ..
polarjunkie@reddit
FMCSA and the FTC was going after companies doing this last year or the year before, you should look it up and see who you can contact
Still_Conclusion1956@reddit
You give them a huge bill back for being in possession of your truck. That’s legal and there’s nothing they can do about it.
Silly-Swimmer-8324@reddit
Bro 695/hr ? Dam I need to switch careers
roytwo@reddit
the tow was $1,695 the rest was recovery. A bit overpriced but recovery/tow is expensive
OSRSgamerkid@reddit
Yeah, there's scams like this a lot. I remember seeing warning videos st the Pennsylvania DMV.
Aromatic-Scratch3481@reddit
This is why the job ads i see for heavy wrecker in the mountains start at 150-200k/year
Imaginativested@reddit
$23-24 hr around me for the big 3 companies that do it. Way too dangerous of a job to risk life and limbs for that pay.
YoungMaleficent9068@reddit
Pov. Truckers see what companies make on their work....
I_AM_MartyMcfly_AMA@reddit
A 40k bill for a tow that was probably 30 miles is insanely predatory. On top of everything being absurdly high they’re practically charging op for new rigging/saftey equipment and tools
Naborsx21@reddit
I once wrecked my car in bumfuck colorado in the winter. I was pretty fucked up and apparently the cop just drove me home after he said i denied medical care. I'm sure I did but no idea how, woke up in a ton of pain went to the hospital, had broken bones in my face, a broken sternum, and fractures in several vetebrae aand a concussion and 0 recollection of what happened. Found out the cops had it towed even though i lived like 5 miles away, have a truck and trailer to recover it, but they charged like $2900 to tow it 50 miles away. Overtime and needed 2 tow trucks somehow for one of the smaller coupe sports cars you could get. All a sham.
HowlingWolven@reddit
Probably hindsight, but the cop shouldn’t’ve taken you home for that without having at least an EMT or preferably a triage nurse assess and clear you. No recollection of events means TBI.
Also you shouldn’t’ve had to pay for the tow, that’s for insurance to deal with.
Naborsx21@reddit
What insurance? Had liability only because it was a twin turbo shit box hahaha. Worth maybe 5k to someone that also else that thinks CLEETUS is a cool name.
But yeah whole thing was fucked, charged me $100/ day for storage too.
burnerphone123455@reddit
Or intoxicated…..
Deodorized@reddit
Probably hindsight, but the tow truck company is owned by the cop's brother or cousin and this is something they do commonly.
The cop doesn't care about what they should or shouldn't have done.
Cholliday09@reddit
Yea let’s just make things up!
junkycosmos@reddit
Is this even a real company ? 2 different AI searches are puking up saying maybe a scam company ..?
Here’s a fact-checked breakdown of the specific business you asked about:
⸻
📍 First Call Towing and Recovery Inc
⚠️ First problem: identity mismatch
I could not find any verified business records (state filings, BBB, or credible listings) that clearly match:
What does show up are similarly named companies:
👉 This is a red flag: towing scams often use name variations that mimic legitimate companies.
⸻
🧾 Known companies with similar names (for comparison)
1) Indiana company (likely legitimate but unrelated)
⸻
2) Chicago “1st Towing & Recovery”
⸻
3) Legitimate Chicago-area company (different name)
⸻
🚨 Scam risk assessment
❌ Major red flags for YOUR listing
👉 In towing, that combination is very common in “ghost” or pop-up operators.
⸻
⚠️ Industry reality (important context)
Even legitimate towing companies often get complaints. The industry itself is known for:
From real-world reports:
👉 That doesn’t prove your specific company is a scam — but it shows why unverified towing companies are high-risk.
⸻
💰 Revenue & ownership (your exact company)
👉 That alone is unusual for a legitimate incorporated business.
⸻
🧠 Bottom line
Is this business legitimate?
Likely scenarios:
⸻
✅ What you should do before trusting them
If they:
👉 Walk away immediately.
⸻
junkycosmos@reddit
Is this even a real company ? 2 different AI searches are puking up saying maybe a scam company ..?
(Tell me all about this business. Are they a scam or legitimate. Who owns them and how much income did they make last year )
Reply —
First Call Towing and Recovery Inc 3056 W Fillmore St, Chicago, IL 60612 | (773) 565-7800
Here’s a fact-checked breakdown of the specific business you asked about:
⸻
📍 First Call Towing and Recovery Inc
⚠️ First problem: identity mismatch
I could not find any verified business records (state filings, BBB, or credible listings) that clearly match:
What does show up are similarly named companies:
👉 This is a red flag: towing scams often use name variations that mimic legitimate companies.
⸻
🧾 Known companies with similar names (for comparison)
1) Indiana company (likely legitimate but unrelated)
⸻
2) Chicago “1st Towing & Recovery”
⸻
3) Legitimate Chicago-area company (different name)
⸻
🚨 Scam risk assessment
❌ Major red flags for YOUR listing
👉 In towing, that combination is very common in “ghost” or pop-up operators.
⸻
⚠️ Industry reality (important context)
Even legitimate towing companies often get complaints. The industry itself is known for:
From real-world reports:
👉 That doesn’t prove your specific company is a scam — but it shows why unverified towing companies are high-risk.
⸻
💰 Revenue & ownership (your exact company)
👉 That alone is unusual for a legitimate incorporated business.
⸻
🧠 Bottom line
Is this business legitimate?
Likely scenarios:
⸻
✅ What you should do before trusting them
If they:
👉 Walk away immediately.
⸻
If you want, I can  dig deeper (court cases, complaints, towing violations, or that exact phone number history).
bonusmom907@reddit
I just took out my contacts and read the first line as ‘home wrecker’ and was oh snap!!! They charging a HEAVY FEE for that shit.
Rare_Indication_3811@reddit
I cant look up this company, no company under this address, nor phone number, thats bit weird isnt it?
RodG4358@reddit
I couldn’t find it either maybe click bait to stir the pot 😒🤔
Ok-Atmosphere-6272@reddit
$695 an hour that’s more than a doctor. I would take them to court and immediately talk to a lawyer.
WayneKrane@reddit
Yep, that’s almost $1.5m a year. I’d go do this job in a heart beat if it paid that
acutemisadventure@reddit
You got the right idea but a lil backwards.
Talk to a lawyer and have THEM to court lol
thebigbossyboss@reddit
$685 per hour???? wtf. I work in heavy equipment repair and we don’t charge that much. Finning doesn’t charge that much. Fuck not even the cranes cost that much
jadedshibby@reddit
The address comes back to what looks like a chop shop in north lawndale, why am I not surprised lmao
forkystabbyveggie@reddit
I can't find a business listing at their address on Google maps. I can't find them mentioned anywhere online.
These dudes just showed up and your driver screwed up massively by letting them touch the equipment at all.
Police will be on scene and should tell the driver a call out was made and the name of the tow company in rotation who is showing up.
Requettie@reddit
what the fuck
thesunking93@reddit
It's definitely worth disputing. First and foremost, did they legally get dispatched through the local first responders like fire or police? If not, they're illegally soliciting. The Tow commissioner from the local city municipality would have a field day with them and very likely hit them with violation fee's.
Heather_Val@reddit
Unless the local authorities contacted the tow company, or the local business, they actually need a signed authorization before they even hook up to a vehicle in Chicago. I only know this because years and years ago I had a Company vehicle towed and a predatory company showed up first.
Frito_Pendejo79@reddit
Was the casualty rolled over and they had to unload the trailer. Was it on an expressway or blocking a freeway?
FaceWithAName@reddit
They charged you because they had a second wrecker on standby? Wtf lol
Broncarpenter@reddit
That one’s wild as fuck to me
Straight-Fortune-193@reddit
That would make someone go postal
Vast-Yak-8713@reddit
Wowwwwww this is shocking…..
noamgboi1@reddit
Mfs just charging for anything nowadays lol
iamNutteryBipples@reddit
For $13 grand in labor, they will be my gimps for the year whether they want to or not.
beavismorpheus@reddit
DOT butt slaves
beavismorpheus@reddit
DOT ass slaves
Whitehoneybun666@reddit
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Georgiaboy03@reddit
Besides insurance companies, wrecker companies are a huge scam not only in trucking, but on average as a whole. These guys only want to screw the other person, its not a business, its a crook running a scam. You can tell, when you come by an honest one, they will give you real good prices, but most are pathetic scum.
Longjumping-Run-7027@reddit
Print it, wipe your ass with it (optionally after a serious shit) and mail it back to them.
Helios-21@reddit
805 dollar fuel surcharge? Crazy
Kindly_Region@reddit
Looks like a hospital bill
Rare_Indication_3811@reddit
695/h lol
Kindly_Region@reddit
And the recovery driver probably gets $50/hr
Kindly_Region@reddit
Only $805 for fuel? That seems cheap compared to everything else on this
DickKlidaris@reddit
I knew this was going to be Chicago. It’s terrible here (tow pirates/scanner chasers)
thetruckerswallofsha@reddit
It that price there better be a hooker named Molly giving reaaaaaal slow blow jobs
Beginning-Mud6345@reddit
pero eso no se hace cargo la compañia de seguro del vehiculo?? te lo pregunto porque yo trabajaba en España como chofer ( camion portavehiculos 22 metros ) y un dia en un giro tire un semaforo. Total que a la vuelta cuando volvi por la misma calle ( luego de descargar) vi a la policia que estaba dirigiendo el transito en la zona y me pare para dar los datos del seguro.
nasdawg77@reddit
We in the wrong profession
BrisbaneAus@reddit
I’ll get downvoted to hell but definitely overprice but some of those rotator wreckers are 1million dollars. I’ve seen some local guys charging 2k an hour to have one on scene. Definitely not cheap but I wouldn’t be cheaper either if I got a million dollar rig.
BrisbaneAus@reddit
Oh shit saw it was only 50 mins. Yeah that’s god damn wild.
Murkdonalds@reddit
$695 an hour is nasty work.
Hypothetically- $1.4mil a year at 40hrs a week to tow and lift shit. I’d tell them to SMDFTB lol
Neither-Brain-2599@reddit
Descendants of the Lincoln Park Pirates…
Spazecowboy@reddit
Secondary wrecker on standby…$4000. That’s crazy!
tinycoyote1423@reddit
$700 an hour per person in the labor, yet they probably get $30 an hour. I’d gladly pay the $700 an hour if they could prove their employers got it all, since that’s clearly billing for their labor.
whiskey-1@reddit
One, maybe two of those guys might be getting somewhere near $30 an hour, but I can guarantee that the rest of the guys they’re billing for are light duty drivers making $17 an hour that aren’t currently busy that they’ll send to the scene to pad the labor bill.
Source: spent 13 years on the towing business.
tinycoyote1423@reddit
Exactly, predatory towing is already bad enough and seeing that BS labor rate is a spit on the face
Free-Juggernaut-9372@reddit
Those were some expensive airline parts.
ConstantMelancholia@reddit
Absolutely insane. The most expensive tow I've seen with my company was $2000. And that for 4 hour toe, one way and 150 miles
Ton_in_the_Sun@reddit
Damn! Their guys make $695 an hour? I need to switch careers
/s
Sarcasm aside I’d never scum hard enough to be a tow truck driver
synocrat@reddit
$40k to go TO Gary?
EmperorDoodles@reddit
And here I thought Jersey towing prices were bad.
PineappleLong510@reddit
Dont pay. Fight it!
Independent_Leg7358@reddit
I don't know who would. They aren't gonna win collecting that at court. Even $1000 would be on the high side.
possibly_lost45@reddit
Why did it take 5 people to tow a truck
Apart-Ad1652@reddit
Bogus charges. Take it to court. Illegal.
KnownAdvantage5366@reddit (OP)
They dropped the unit. And then invoiced. And no, they won’t be getting $40k
Riyeko@reddit
There were predatory laws introduced a few years back for Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas due to the big truck tow trucks giving folks a $25k hookup fee.
People sued.
HowlingWolven@reddit
Was gonna say, that should be a $5k tow at most.
Remote-Climate-135@reddit
Next time call them: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MYcW1PeEypNPHiWz5
Fair prices
lulzzors@reddit
At that price I better get to keep that rigging and recovery equipment.
n00b420_@reddit
... Ohh hell no..
Coiler511dA4@reddit
Your got scammed hard my friend.