Donate a tow truck or rollback when the yard is winding down

Where donated tow trucks come from

Towing companies closing, consolidating or upgrading. A rollback with a good bed and a tired chassis is a common donation, because repowering it costs more than the operator wants to spend and selling it means dealing with buyers who know its faults.

Repair shops and dealerships send single units. One wrecker bought for in-house moves gets replaced by a service contract and sits.

We also see estates. A tow truck in an estate is a specialized asset with a narrow market, and an executor rarely has the time to find the right buyer.

It usually drives itself

A running, registered tow truck gets driven to the sale, which is the cheapest move there is. We handle the driver and the insurance.

If it does not run, moving a wrecker is more involved than moving a car, because the truck itself is heavy and the boom or bed adds to it. We will book a heavy rollback or a lowboy. Tell us whether it rolls and steers and whether the air brakes hold pressure.

Stow the boom, the wheel-lift and the bed before pickup if you can. If the hydraulics are dead and something is stuck extended, say so, because it changes the permit and the trailer.

What decides what a tow truck brings

• Body maker and capacity. The wrecker or carrier body is often worth more than the chassis. Body brand, bed length and rated capacity are the first three numbers a buyer asks for.
• Hydraulics and winch. Whether the bed slides and tilts, whether the boom extends, whether the winch pulls. Working hydraulics are the difference between a truck and a parts truck.
• Chassis condition and mileage. Tow trucks accumulate hard miles. A clean-running engine and a solid frame carry the sale.
• Bed and rail condition. Deck rust, bent rails and worn slides are all visible and all priced in.
• Extras. Light bars, tool boxes, straps, chains, a second winch, wheel dollies. Send them; they add up.

Makes and bodies we accept

Tow operators buy on body brand first and chassis second.

• Wrecker and carrier bodies: Jerr-Dan, Century, Vulcan, Chevron, Holmes and Challenger from Miller Industries, Dynamic, NRC, Zacklift, Danco, Kilar.
• Light and medium chassis: Ford F-450, F-550 and F-650, Ram 4500 and 5500, Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD, Isuzu NPR and NRR, Hino 258 and 268, Freightliner M2.
• Heavy wreckers: Peterbilt 337 and 389, Kenworth T370 and T800, Freightliner 108SD and Coronado, International HV and 4700, Western Star.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own vehicle. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

A truck is a titled vehicle, so the title has to transfer. If it is lost, most states have a duplicate process and the state title rules page walks through yours. If the truck was financed, we need the lien release. Company-owned trucks also need whoever signs to have authority to sign for the entity.

Giving Center sells the truck and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds, on Form 1098-C. A working rollback will normally clear $5,000, which means a qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B are required by the IRS. That appraisal is a donor expense and a donor decision.

One thing specific to tow operators: if the truck is titled to a company that is dissolving, get the paperwork moving before the entity closes. Transferring a title out of a dissolved company is a much harder problem than transferring it out of an active one.