How to verify a tow company is licensed
TDLR licenses the company, the operator, and the truck as separate records. Check each one in the public TDLR License Search, not one shared number.
What you'll learn
- How company, operator and truck credentials differ
- Where to run TDLR License Search
- What a nonconsent tow ticket must list, according to TDLR
- What this page will not invent about markings or insurance papers
Step by step
- Ask for the towing company's TDLR number and the individual operator's TDLR number. They are not automatically the same.
- Search at https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch/. Choose the license type that matches what you were given (company, operator or truck).
- Confirm the record is active. If the name on the record is not the name on the invoice, stop and ask why before the vehicle leaves.
- Ask whether the truck itself is TDLR-permitted. Look that permit up as its own credential if you have the number.
- For a nonconsent tow, TDLR says the tow ticket must list the company name, a public phone number, the company registration number and the operator's TDLR number. Compare the ticket with the search results.
- If credentials cannot be shown or do not search as active, do not release the vehicle. Call another operator or (361) 967-8088.
Quick Tow is a referral line. The independent operator who arrives is the license holder you should verify. This page does not claim that a certificate of insurance must be in the cab, that on-hook coverage must exceed the vehicle's value, or that the truck address must match a dispatch address.
Three different TDLR files
TDLR's towing program covers tow trucks, operators and VSFs. Confirm company, truck, and operator records on the current License Search screen. A company license does not prove the driver is licensed. A driver license does not prove the truck is permitted.
Consumers can verify records at TDLR License Search. You can search by license type (for operators, select Tow Truck Operators), name, license number, city, county or zip. Use the current search screen; field labels can change.
What to look up
| Credential | Whose name you are checking | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Towing company license / registration | The business on the invoice | TDLR License Search; ask which license type to select |
| Tow operator license | The person driving or hooking the vehicle | TDLR License Search, operator license type; confirm the current label on that screen |
| Tow truck permit | The specific truck | TDLR License Search or TDLR customer service with the permit number |
| Vehicle storage facility | The lot holding a nonconsent tow | TDLR VSF listings, separate from the truck |
What TDLR says must appear on a nonconsent tow ticket
TDLR's consumer information page states that a towing company must prepare and issue a tow ticket for each nonconsent tow, give a copy to the car owner if the owner or operator is present and available, and that the ticket must contain the licensed name of the towing company, publicly listed telephone number, towing company certificate of registration number, and the TDLR license number of the towing operator. That is a TDLR statement about nonconsent paperwork. It is not a rule this page extends to every consent breakdown tow.
Markings, insurance papers and matching addresses
TDLR's consumer information page does not state a complete truck-door marking rule, does not require a paper certificate of insurance in the cab, and does not require on-hook coverage to exceed the value of your vehicle or the company address to match the truck. TDLR does impose licensing and insurance conditions on license holders in its laws and administrative rules. Read those current rules on TDLR's towing page (Laws and Administrative Rules) instead of treating this checklist as the regulation.
Reasonable questions on scene: Can you give me the company and operator numbers for TDLR search? Is this truck permitted? What is the written price? Will you put the method (flatbed or wheel-lift) on the paperwork? If the operator will not identify a searchable license, wait or call someone else.
Useful contacts
| Lookup | Where | What it can confirm |
|---|---|---|
| TDLR License Search | tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch | Whether a number and name are on file and active |
| TDLR customer service | (800) 803-9202 in state, (512) 463-6599 | Help using the search; not a substitute for the public record |
| TDLR complaint | tdlr.texas.gov/Complaints | How to file; TDLR says this is not a substitute for a tow hearing |
| CCPD vehicle impound | (361) 857-1996, 5485 Greenwood Dr | Municipal lot; a private-property tow goes to the company's yard |
| Quick Tow referral line | (361) 967-8088 | A request to match another independent operator; not a TDLR lookup |
Public business-name listings do not replace TDLR. Cash-only demands, blank paperwork, or a license search that returns a different company than the invoice are reasons to pause. They are not, by themselves, a finding that a crime occurred.
Rather have a pro handle it?
Towing and roadside across Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend. The line takes calls 24/7.
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