Tow trucks are specialised commercial vehicles designed for the recovery, towing and transport of broken-down or accident-damaged motor vehicles. The body types vary depending on the class of vehicle to be transported.
The main types are flatbed tow trucks (the flatbed tilts to allow the vehicle to drive onto it, the most common type for cars), standard tow trucks (lifting arm/jib, lifts the front axle), heavy-duty tow trucks for lorries and buses (lifts up to 50 tonnes, underlift with axle clamps), recovery vehicles with crane and winch, and multi-flatbed bodies for several cars.
Common manufacturers include Empl, Algema, Cobra, Iveco Magirus, Falkom, Rosenbauer, OmarsAG and NRC Industries. Built on chassis from Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Iveco, Renault and Scania.
Tow trucks are used by breakdown services (ADAC, ACE, police impound), at garages, by municipal enforcement agencies, by recovery companies, by car hire firms for vehicle transport, and in transport services for sports cars and classic cars.