TowingBossPro Blog — Roadside Assistance

Building a Roadside Price List Your Dispatchers Can Quote Consistently

Ask three dispatchers at most towing companies what a lockout costs and you might get three answers. That is not just a customer-service problem. It is a margin problem, because every inconsistent quote is usually a low one. A roadside price list fixes that, and it does not need to be complicated.

This article is about structure, not numbers. Prices vary widely by market, and you know yours. The goal is a list that any dispatcher can quote the same way, every time.

Start With a Base Price per Call Type

Two-Way Texting on Roadside Calls: Getting the Real Location and Photos showed how to get better information from the customer. Pricing turns that information into a number. Start with one base price for each roadside type: jump start, lockout, tire change, fuel delivery and winch-out. That base should cover a normal call in your normal service area during normal hours.

Write down what "normal" means for each. A normal tire change has a usable spare, a lug key and a safe place to work. A normal winch-out is a short pull from a shallow spot. Anything else is an adjustment.

Define your normal service area clearly, too. Draw it on a map if you have to. A base price that covers anything within a set distance of your yard, with a clear add-on beyond it, is easier to quote than a price that shifts depending on who answers the phone and how far away the call feels to them.

Decide What Changes the Price

Then list the factors that move the price, and keep the list short so dispatchers can actually use it:

• Distance beyond your normal service area.
• After-hours, overnight, weekends or holidays.
• Highway shoulder versus a parking lot, if you price for it.
• Extra time on scene beyond a set amount.
• Fuel itself, on fuel calls.
• For winch-outs: distance off the road, depth, extra equipment.

Make each one a clear add-on, not a judgment call. "After-hours adds X" is something a new dispatcher can quote. "Charge more if it seems hard" is not.

Quote It at Intake

Give the customer the expected price on the phone, before the truck rolls, and tell them what could change it. "A jump start is X. If it turns out the battery is the problem and you need a tow, that's a separate price and we'll confirm it with you before we hook up."

Customers rarely argue over a price they agreed to. They argue over surprises.

Write the quote language down. A short script for each call type, with the base price and the most common add-ons, lets a new dispatcher sound like a veteran on day one. It also means the customer hears the same thing whether they call at noon or at midnight.

Put It in Writing When It Changes

When the job turns out bigger than described, an estimate with online approval is the cleanest way to change the price. The dispatcher sends the estimate, the customer approves it on their phone, and the driver proceeds. That approval is your record. It matters most on winch-outs and on roadside calls that turn into tows.

Train drivers not to negotiate prices on scene. When the job is bigger, the driver reports it to the office and the office sends the estimate. That keeps pricing decisions with the people who know the price list, and it keeps the driver out of an awkward argument on the roadside.

Invoice Exactly What You Quoted

The invoice is where a good price list pays off. When every dispatcher quotes the same base and the same add-ons, the invoices come out consistent too. Invoicing in TowingBossPro handles sales tax, and roadside services and fuel may be taxed differently depending on where you are, so check your local rules.

The customer pays online from their phone or the customer app, or you charge a card on file. Payment follow-ups chase anything that stays unpaid.

Review the List With Reports

A price list is not set-and-forget. Reports on calls and revenue by category will show you whether roadside work is carrying its weight. If winch-outs are eating hours and bringing in little, the price or the definition of "normal" needs work. If after-hours calls are a big share of the volume, the after-hours add-on deserves a look.

Next up: getting paid on scene, before the driver pulls away. For pricing, invoicing and payments together, see the roadside assistance software overview.