Motor Club Rate Card Template: How to Structure Your Pricing

What a motor club rate card needs to cover

A rate card is the pricing document that governs every transaction in your motor club operation. It has two sides that must work together: the client-facing rate card that determines what you charge, and the operator-facing rate card that determines what you pay.

The client-facing rate card is what you present to body shops, dealerships, and fleets. It should cover every service type you offer, with a base rate and per-mile rate for distance-based services. Clients need to know exactly what they will be billed before they commit to working with you.

The operator-facing rate card is what you share with tow companies when recruiting them to your network. It should show what operators earn per service type — presented as a flat payout rather than a percentage of your client rate. Operators do not need to know your client rates; they need to know what they will earn.

Client rate card framework

Here is a starting framework for a client rate card in a mid-size metro market. Adjust based on your local market rates.

Standard towing (wheel-lift): $90 base rate (includes first 5 miles), $4.00 per loaded mile beyond 5 miles.

Flatbed towing: $115 base rate (includes first 5 miles), $5.00 per loaded mile beyond 5 miles.

AWD/4WD towing: $125 base rate (includes first 5 miles), $5.50 per loaded mile beyond 5 miles. Many operators include AWD in their flatbed rate — either approach works as long as it is clearly documented.

Jump start: $65 flat rate. After-hours: $85.

Lockout service: $65 flat rate. After-hours: $85.

Tire change (customer spare): $65 flat rate. After-hours: $85.

Fuel delivery: $65 flat rate plus cost of fuel delivered. After-hours: $85 plus fuel.

After-hours surcharge applies to all services between 9pm and 7am, weekends, and federal holidays.

Operator payout rate card framework

Operator payouts should be set at 60-70% of your client rate for each service type. Here is how that maps to the client rate card above.

Standard towing: $58-63 base payout (includes first 5 miles), $2.60-2.80 per loaded mile.

Flatbed towing: $74-80 base payout (includes first 5 miles), $3.25-3.50 per loaded mile.

AWD/4WD towing: $81-87 base payout (includes first 5 miles), $3.58-3.85 per loaded mile.

Jump start: $42-45 standard, $55-59 after-hours.

Lockout service: $42-45 standard, $55-59 after-hours.

These payouts are significantly above motor club rates ($35-55 total for a standard tow) — which is your primary selling point when recruiting operators. Present the comparison explicitly when pitching operators: they earn more per job, get paid faster, and have full visibility into the rate before accepting.

How to validate your rate card against your market

Before publishing your rate card to clients and operators, validate it against your local market.

For client rates: Call 3-5 body shops and dealerships in your area and ask what they currently pay for towing. Most will tell you — they have no reason not to. If your rates are within 10% of what they are currently paying, you are competitive. If you are significantly higher, you need to justify the premium through service quality differentiators.

For operator rates: Check what motor clubs are currently paying operators in your area. Your rates should be at least 50% higher to make the switch attractive. If local motor club rates are $45, your operator payout should be at least $67.

Revise your rate card once a year at minimum. Fuel costs, insurance premiums, and market dynamics change. See towing insurance costs and towing service pricing for current benchmarks.

Setting up your rate card on a dispatch platform

Once your rate card is finalized, configure it in your dispatch platform. In TowMarX, rate cards are set at the network level — every job dispatched through your network automatically calculates client billing and operator payout based on your configured rates.

This automation eliminates the most common financial friction in motor club operations: disputes about what was charged and what was paid. When every job calculates automatically from a published rate card, both clients and operators can verify every invoice against the rate they agreed to.

For the complete rate card template including all service types and a customization guide for different market sizes, download the free Motor Club Starter Kit at towmarx.com/starter-kit. See how towing services are priced for context.