Wrecker vs tow truck driver

The differences between wreckers and tow truck drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a wrecker has an average salary of $43,097, which is higher than the $38,555 average annual salary of a tow truck driver.

The top three skills for a wrecker include hand tools, and . The most important skills for a tow truck driver are transport vehicles, CDL, and customer service.

Wrecker vs tow truck driver overview

	Wrecker	Tow Truck Driver
Yearly salary	$43,097	$38,555
Hourly rate	$20.72	$18.54
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	102	666,918
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 57%
Average age	35	48
Years of experience	-	2

Wrecker vs tow truck driver salary

Wreckers and tow truck drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wrecker	Tow Truck Driver
Average salary	$43,097	$38,555
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $79,000	Between $29,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Auburn, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	City of Detroit
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between wrecker and tow truck driver education

There are a few differences between a wrecker and a tow truck driver in terms of educational background:

	Wrecker	Tow Truck Driver
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 57%
Most common major	Business	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Wrecker vs tow truck driver demographics

Here are the differences between wreckers' and tow truck drivers' demographics:

	Wrecker	Tow Truck Driver
Average age	35	48
Gender ratio	Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 1.7% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 3.9% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between wrecker and tow truck driver duties and responsibilities

Wrecker example responsibilities.

Provide AAA roadside assistance and tows.respond to city impounds and wrecks.salvage car transportation
Change tires, install dollies, jump vehicles.

Tow truck driver example responsibilities.

Manage and expedite the secure transportation and accountability of logistic materials and HAZMAT chemicals to commercial, state and government facilities.
Operate tow truck and equipment (dollies, go jacks).
Drive rollback tow truck, load and unload cars, secure cars on truck bed, operate hydraulic, maintain truck
Right eye injury and ineligibility for CDL )
Job require current CDL with clean driving record.
Maintain contracts with several companies as well as CHP work.

Wrecker vs tow truck driver skills

Common wrecker skills

Hand Tools, 100%

Common tow truck driver skills

Transport Vehicles, 22%
CDL, 17%
Customer Service, 14%
Loaders, 10%
AAA, 8%
Fuel Delivery, 5%

Updated January 8, 2025

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