Tow truck operators across SE QLD.

Towing in Queensland splits into two worlds, and which one you are in decides what you pay.

Regulated towing covers crash towing and towing from private property inside a regulated area, which includes Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Ipswich (the boundaries follow the pre-amalgamation council areas as they stood on 15 March 2008). Operators, drivers, assistants and the trucks themselves must all be licensed under the Tow Truck Act 2023 and the Tow Truck Regulation 2024, and the price is set by the state rather than quoted by the driver. From 1 July 2026 the maximum for a regulated crash tow is $447.90 for the first 50 km, plus $8.90 per kilometre after that. Releasing a vehicle towed from private property is capped at $310.05 from the holding yard, or $186.05 if you reach the truck before it leaves and the car is released on site. Storage is capped at $31.00 per day. Call-out fees cannot be charged at all. That standard private property fee buys one hour of work at the scene, transport to the nearest holding yard, and 72 hours of storage, and if you come back while your car is still being loaded it has to be released free.

Everything else is unregulated, and it is most of what people actually book: a car that will not start, a breakdown on the M1, a machinery or caravan move, an auction pickup, a vehicle going across town to a mechanic. No cap applies to those jobs, so the price is quoted per job and worth comparing between operators. Ask three things before you agree: whether the figure includes GST, whether hook-up and waiting time are inside it, and what the per-kilometre rate is beyond the first leg.

Equipment matters more than most people expect. A tilt tray, also called a flatbed, carries the whole vehicle on the deck, and that is what you want for an all-wheel drive, a low or modified car, an EV, or anything with damaged wheels or a transmission stuck in park. A wheel lift or underlift picks up one axle and rolls the car on the other two, which is faster and cheaper but wrong for a good share of modern vehicles. Say what you drive when you call, not when the truck arrives.

Have two things ready: where the car actually is (a street address, or the nearest exit or bay number), and whether it is drivable, in gear, or in a car park with a height limit. That is the difference between one truck turning up and two. For any crash or private property tow, ask for the operator licence. For anything else, get the quote in writing before the hook goes on.

Regulated maximums above are the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads figures effective 1 July 2026, published at tmr.qld.gov.au and read on 7 September 2026. Confirm the current figures and the regulated area boundaries with TMR before relying on them.