Light, Medium, And Heavy Duty Towing Services, Which One Is Best?

Home / Blogs
Light, Medium, And Heavy Duty Towing Services, Which One Is Best?

A towing firm is usually referred to as a wrecking company. That’s because these firms do a lot more than hauling other vehicles. Some of the vital services provided by a towing company include tilt deck service, recovery, auto scrap removal, lockout facilities, roadside assistance, flat tires, fuel delivery, boosting, jump starts, fluid refills, flatbed towing, and local and long-distance towing.

Overall, all the towing services offered by any towing firm can be classified into three main categories: light, medium, and heavy-duty towing trucks. Each of these towing classes is meant to carry out particular kinds of towing tasks using specific tools and equipment. To know the towing service that would fulfill your requirements, you must first determine the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating GVWR of your automobile.

When you contact a towing firm, The first thing they need to know is whether you require a light, medium, or heavy-duty towing service by asking you some questions. Only then can they tell you if they can handle your specific towing job with their available trucks. Generally, it’s all about your vehicle’s weight and size, including passengers and cargo that determines the towing service that would suit your towing needs.

Now, let’s discuss each of the three main types of towing services to understand them better:

Light Duty Towing

In the light-duty towing type, you will get the towing companies’ standard and regular towing services offered on a day-to-day basis. It mainly includes services such as removing abandoned vehicles, making recoveries from accidents and traffic collisions, private property towing, and more.

Performing these types of towing services requires a regular tow truck like a dolly towing truck. Towing vehicles such as cars, minivans, or small trucks are regarded as a light-duty towing job.

Medium Duty Towing

The medium duty towing type is required for towing vehicles larger than light-duty autos but lighter and smaller than heavy-duty automobiles. This class of towing includes providing a variety of towing services to operators of vans, box trucks, motorhomes, and RVs. Specialized tow trucks having configurations of automatic or low-profile trailers and boom lifts can be utilized for towing these vehicles.

Heavy-Duty Towing

Heavyweight vehicles such as semi-trucks, trailers, tractor trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, construction equipment, watercraft, aircraft, and duplexes require heavy-duty tow trucks for effective towing results. These large-sized trucks can handle recoveries and other towing tasks of almost any size.

Heavy-duty towing trucks are used to perform heavy-duty towing services. They are fully capable of supporting the entire load of another vehicle, which is towed, rendering high-efficiency towing results at lower costs. Due to the increased complexity involved in the heavy-duty towing process, the towing operators must have enough knowledge of specific towing strategies and handling massive engines.

Heavy-duty towing services involve using tow trucks that are much larger and longer than their light and medium-duty counterparts. Thus, the tow truck drivers must be certified and have a considerable amount of hands-on experience handling such heavy equipment on the road. Towing heavyweight vehicles on longer routes puts enormous stress on tow trucks for longer periods of time. It also requires more significant insurance for heavy-duty service providers to moderate any damages.

Final Thoughts

Towing a vehicle requires a lot of expertise and delicacy. Utilizing the wrong type of tow truck can damage your cars transmission and other equipment. A light-duty truck cannot lift and move a massive rig out of the way; that’s why dolly towing trucks are only effective on small vehicles if the towing distance is not that long.

Medium towing trucks include flatbeds instead of using dolly towing trucks. Flatbeds are a safe bet when it comes to transporting medium duty towing as they can be used to raise the vehicle onto the bed, eliminating the need for the direct contact of truck’s tires with the road. Flatbeds are also a good option for moving light-duty cars for longer distances.

Heavy-duty towing jobs require different types of tow trucks that are well-equipped with more extensive reinforcements, frames, and more powerful engines to transport heavy vehicles like trucks, trailers, tour buses, for longer distances effectively. Most importantly, it requires certified tow truck drivers to handle large cargo safely.

Action Towing is an experienced heavy-duty towing service provider based in Edmonton. Visit our website to read about our specialized towing services or contact us for customized care.

RECENT BLOGS

A place to come for news and updates about our services, our equipment, careers,
what we’ve been up to lately.

November 19, 2025

Operating a business in Alberta often means working with large trucks, heavy trailers, and specialized equipment. These vehicles are essential for industries like construction, logistics, and oilfield services, but they also bring unique challenges—especially during road restrictions. Seasonal weight bans, municipal bylaws, and oversize permit rules can complicate operations, and when emergencies strike, businesses need… Continue reading What Should Businesses Know About Heavy-Duty Towing During Road Restrictions In Alberta?

November 13, 2025

When your vehicle breaks down unexpectedly in Edmonton, your first instinct is often to get help fast. In that moment, calling the cheapest available towing service may seem like a logical move. But that quick decision can end up costing more than you expect. Many drivers don’t realize that towing is about more than just… Continue reading The Hidden Costs Of Cheap Towing: Why Professional Services Are Worth It

November 4, 2025

If your truck breaks down on Yellowhead Trail, you are not alone and you are not out of options. As one of Edmonton’s busiest commercial corridors, Yellowhead Trail (Highway 16) handles thousands of transport trucks daily, moving everything from industrial equipment to time-sensitive goods across Alberta and beyond. With construction underway to convert Yellowhead into… Continue reading What To Do When Your Commercial Truck Breaks Down On The Yellowhead

GIVE US A CALL FOR QUICK VEHICLE
RECOVERY AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE