How Flatbed Towing Works

A flatbed tow truck has a flat bed on the back that tilts down to ground level, so your vehicle can be winched or driven straight onto it instead of being lifted and dragged behind the truck. Once it’s on, the bed tilts back level and the vehicle is secured in place with straps for the ride. The result is that none of the vehicle’s wheels touch the road at any point — it’s carried, not towed in the traditional sense.

When a Flatbed Is the Right Call

A wheel lift truck works fine for a lot of everyday tows, but there are situations where a flatbed is the safer — or only — option. All-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles can be damaged if towed on their wheels, since the drivetrain can spin without the engine running. Low-clearance, luxury, and sports cars risk scraping their undercarriage on ramps or dips in the road. Vehicles that aren’t able to roll safely, for any reason, need to be carried rather than dragged. And for longer-distance tows, keeping all four wheels off the ground avoids the wear a wheel lift can put on tires and suspension over miles of driving.

What We Flatbed

We use flatbeds for cars, motorcycles, and smaller RVs and campers when the situation calls for it — see our Car Towing, Motorcycle Towing, and RV Towing pages for details specific to each. For heavier vehicles, larger flatbeds come into play too, though very heavy commercial vehicles like full-size tractor-trailers usually need a heavy-duty wrecker instead, since they exceed what a flatbed can safely carry.

Flatbed Towing FAQs