Tow trucks get paid every time the phone rings. Motor club calls, police rotation, dealer transport, impound and private property work all turn a rollback or wrecker into daily cash flow. Many tow operators we hear from lost their credit to a slow season, a breakdown or a job loss, then watched a bank turn them down for the one truck that would fix it. Bad credit does not end the conversation here.
Reviewed by Hard Money Truck Loans Team | Updated October 11, 2026
Every application is reviewed on its own facts. Credit is reviewed, but it is not the deciding factor. Low scores, collections, charge-offs and late payments are workable. No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years.
The lender reviews the specific truck as part of the transaction, including year, make and model, mileage, truck type and specifications. On a tow truck the bed, boom, wheel lift and winch are part of those specifications.
Most rollbacks and light to medium wreckers fall well inside the $21,000 to $145,000 window. An established business is 30% down and a startup is 40% down with 2 years of industry experience.
The truck must be purchased from a licensed dealer and there is no minimum credit score. The towing and recovery examples on this page are educational context only, so you can independently confirm the truck fits the work you plan to perform.
Towing is cash flow work, but it is also hard on trucks and on owners. One blown engine or a slow motor club month can push a tow operator behind on everything else. Banks see the collections and decline. Our recent 2015 Freightliner M2 flatbed deal, a rollback style truck, was funded for a buyer with a 491 score and 5 collections.
There is no minimum credit score. Collections, charge-offs and late payments are workable. Bankruptcy or repossession in the last 5 years disqualifies the file.
We specialize in credit challenged commercial truck and trailer buyers, including many borrowers with scores around 500. Credit is reviewed, but it is not the deciding factor. Low scores, collections, charge-offs and late payments are workable.
Example based on 26 days at 4 calls per day averaging $150 per tow. Expenses include fuel, on hook and liability insurance, maintenance, tires and dispatch fees. The truck payment is not included because your payment depends on the price, term and rate quoted to you.
Money left on the table before any truck payment, while you keep applying and hearing no.
We will be straight with you. Because we lend to credit challenged buyers, you put more money down than a bank would ask for and you pay a higher rate than a bank would charge. That is the honest cost of getting approved when the bank already said no.
The difference is that a bank decline earns you nothing. A tow truck that is working earns money every month. Used wisely, that income covers the payment, pays down the collections on your credit and builds the track record that gets you better terms on your next truck.
Keep the tow truck earning. Revenue is what makes everything else possible.
Make every truck payment on time. That history is proof you perform.
Use part of your profit each month to pay or settle collections, oldest and smallest first.
With collections handled and a clean payment record, you are in a better spot for your next truck.
A tow driver with four years of motor club and police rotation experience has a score under 520 after a job loss. He finds a used rollback at a licensed dealer for $47,000.
At 30% down he brings $14,100 and finances $32,900. He signs on with motor clubs and local body shops, keeps every truck payment on time and works down his old collections.
This shows how the numbers can work. It is not a specific customer.
These are real loans funded for our customers, credit problems and all.
$47,000 purchase price, $14,100 down (30%)
5 collections totaling $21,450. Lost his job and exhausted his savings during several months of unemployment, causing multiple accounts to go into collections.
All applications are subject to review and approval.
See All Recent LoansThere is no minimum credit score. Our recent 2015 Freightliner M2 flatbed loan was funded for a buyer with a 491 score. Every file is reviewed on its own facts and approval is not guaranteed.
Yes. Rollbacks, light and medium duty wreckers and wheel lift units can all be reviewed.
Banks lend to borrowers with clean credit and decline everyone else. We lend to credit challenged buyers, so the risk is higher and the terms reflect it: 30% down for an established business, 40% down plus 2 years of industry experience for a startup, and a rate higher than a bank would charge. The tradeoff is that you get the tow truck working and earning instead of waiting on a yes that may never come.
No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years. The tow truck must also be purchased from a licensed dealer and the purchase price must fall between $21,000 and $145,000.
It can, if you use it that way. The income from the tow truck can be used to pay or settle collections and keep your personal accounts current, and a clean payment history on your truck loan shows the next lender you perform. Results depend on your own habits and are not guaranteed.
Same day approvals may be available. Funding can occur in as little as 3 days. Timing depends on how quickly the dealer and you provide what is needed.
Reviewed by the Hard Money Truck Loans Team. Last updated October 11, 2026.
Program terms on this page come from our current lending program. Recent loan examples are real funded deals. Read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Credit score is only one part of a truck financing transaction. Here are the HMTL program facts worth checking first.
Read MoreA startup with damaged credit can still be considered when it fits the HMTL startup program.
Read MoreSend us the truck you found at the dealer and we will tell you where you stand. No obligation.
Banks won’t touch you, but guess who will!?
