Consistency: The Missing Link in Towing

By Brian J. Riker Walk into almost any chain restaurant and you know what to expect. The menu may vary slightly, the color scheme may change, but the overall experience is familiar—consistent food, service, and atmosphere whether you’re in Des Moines or Denver. That consistency is no accident; it’s the result of carefully developed systems, standards, and training.

Why can’t towing be the same?

Despite being a century-old industry, towing lacks the kind of uniform standards that allow customers to depend on a consistent experience. Equipment may be similar and challenges universal, yet the way companies approach those challenges varies widely. Some of this stems from uneven state and local regulations, but much of it comes down to training, or the lack of it.

Other industries prove that consistency is achievable. Fire services, for example, rely on standards developed through advisory committees, later adopted into codes and regulations. These standards ensure firefighters across the country follow the same practices, protecting both workers and the public. Towing, by contrast, has no universally accepted baseline. Even equipment ratings differ depending on which manufacturer’s standards are used.

Associations at the state and national level publish guidebooks and best practices, but without adoption and enforcement, they remain suggestions rather than standards. Some states have attempted to set requirements for police towers, but without industry collaboration these efforts often miss the mark.

Uniform training is essential. Just as EMTs and paramedics share a common foundation of knowledge, tow operators should be trained to a consistent standard of competency. This is hardly a new idea—trainers such as Ross Kinman, Joe Sroga, and Dave Lambert offered professional instruction decades ago, and programs like WreckMaster, ERSCA, ATRI, and the Towing Academy continue that work today. National initiatives like Traffic Incident Management provide frameworks for roadside safety, yet many operators remain untrained in these vital practices.

The urgency is growing. Today’s vehicles are more complex than ever, and a single mistake can be costly or dangerous. At the same time, consolidation in the heavy-duty market is driving repeatable service models that customers have come to expect. Independents who fail to match that consistency will find themselves at a disadvantage.

The solution begins with collaboration. Towing companies must join and support their state and national associations, which are best positioned to develop and promote industry-wide standards. Standards must be paired with robust training so that operators in the same class of truck have the same basic competencies, no matter the name on the door.

Technology will only accelerate this need. AI-driven dispatch systems will not value personal relationships or favors—they will prioritize certifications, performance data, and equipment specifications. To stay competitive, companies must ensure every driver is interchangeable in skill and reliability.

This is how it should have been all along. We demand consistency from doctors, firefighters, and even fast-food workers. Towing deserves the same. The time is now to invest in training, adopt standards, and build an industry where consistency is the key to survival.