TowingBossPro Blog — Roadside Assistance

Roadside Reports: Finding Out Which Service Calls Actually Make Money

Plenty of towing owners have a gut feeling about roadside work. Some say it keeps the lights on. Others say it is a money-loser they tolerate because it brings in tows. Both can be true for different companies, and the only way to know which is true for you is to look at the numbers.

Why Categories Matter

Roadside Scene Safety: Process Habits That Protect Drivers on the Shoulder covered habits that keep drivers safer. This one is about knowing whether the work is worth it. TowingBossPro sorts calls into categories: Light-Duty Tows, Heavy-Duty Tows, Roadside, Accident & Recovery, Impound & Storage and Transports. Roadside covers jump starts, lockouts, tire changes, fuel delivery and winch-outs.

Reports are only as good as how calls are categorized. Put every call in the right category at intake, and move it when a roadside call becomes a tow. That is what makes the numbers trustworthy.

Consistency is everything. If one dispatcher puts jump starts in Roadside and another puts them in Light-Duty Tows because a tow truck went, your reports will tell you nothing. Settle the rules once, write them down and check a sample of calls each week until it sticks.

Start With Volume and Revenue

The first question is simple: how many roadside calls did you run, and what did they bring in? Compare that with your tow categories. A large share of calls with a small share of revenue is normal for roadside work. What matters is whether those calls are covering their cost and feeding the rest of the business.

Look at time of day and day of week too. Roadside calls often cluster in mornings, cold snaps and weekends. If your reports confirm that pattern, it should shape how you staff the desk and position trucks. If the pattern is different from what you assumed, that is even more valuable to know.

How Many Roadside Calls Become Tows?

This is the number that answers the "roadside brings in tows" argument. Look at calls that started as roadside and ended up in a tow category. If a meaningful share converts, the roadside call was a lead, and its value is more than its ticket.

If very few convert, roadside work has to stand on its own price.

Look past the first call, too. A roadside customer who calls back a few months later for a tow, or who becomes a member, is value that started with a small call. Customer history shows you those connections, and they often make the case for doing roadside work well.

Watch the Unpaid Invoices

Roadside tickets are small, which makes them easy to forget. Look at how many roadside invoices are unpaid and how old they are. If the number is high, the problem is usually collection on scene: the invoice is going out late, or the payment expectation is not being set at intake. Payment follow-ups help, but collecting on scene is better.

Break it down by call type. If lockouts get paid on scene but winch-outs often do not, the issue may be that winch-out prices are surprising customers. An estimate with online approval on those calls may fix both the dispute and the collection.

Repeat Customers and Accounts

Look at which customers and repeat locations call most. Look at which commercial accounts send roadside work. Those are the relationships worth protecting, and the customers worth offering card on file, a package plan or a membership.

If one account generates a lot of calls and a lot of unpaid invoices, that is a conversation to have.

Look for the opposite as well: customers who used to call regularly and stopped. A short, friendly check-in can win them back, or at least tell you what went wrong.

What to Change Based on What You Find

Reports are only useful if they change something. Common adjustments:

• Raise or restructure prices on call types that take more time than they earn.
• Add or clarify after-hours and distance add-ons.
• Position a light truck where roadside calls cluster.
• Tighten intake if many calls need a second truck.
• Push card on file and memberships for repeat customers.

Look again a month later and see if it moved. The next article covers chasing unpaid roadside invoices automatically. For reports alongside dispatch and billing, see the TowingBossPro roadside assistance software page.