QLD towing rules
Queensland crash towing fees, notice and free storage
You run trucks in Queensland. The tow, the scene work and the first days of storage are one standard tow with one maximum, and that maximum is written in fee units, so the dollar figure changes every 1 July.
Regulator: Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. Tow Truck Act 2023 (Qld). Tow Truck Regulation 2024 (Qld), Schedule 2. Figures last checked 19 August 2026.
How much can a tow truck charge for an accident tow in QLD?
In Queensland the maximum charge for towing a light vehicle from an accident is $447.90 including GST, in a regulated area. Distance beyond 50 km adds $8.90 per kilometre. These are maximums set under the Tow Truck Act 2023 (Qld).
Maximums apply to crash towing in the regulated areas. More than an hour at the scene can lawfully cost more, so TowConnect warns at this figure; it does not stop you.
| Accident tow, light vehiclethe tow plus up to an hour of work at the scene | $447.90 |
|---|---|
| Distance beyond 50 km in a regulated area | $8.90 per km |
Source: Tow Truck Regulation 2024 (Qld) Sch 2 Pt 1, at the fee unit value applying from 1 July 2026. Last checked 19 August 2026. Queensland TMR, tow truck licensing scheme
TowConnect warns you before you save a job priced above the cap, and offers the capped figure in one tap.
How much can you charge to store a vehicle in QLD?
Queensland sets no capped daily storage rate for crash towing. The first 72 hours are free on a standard tow. The daily rate you intend to charge has to be given to the vehicle owner in writing at least 2 days before it starts, and a release fee cannot be charged once towing and storage are paid.
Source: Tow Truck Regulation 2024 (Qld) Sch 2 Pt 1, at the fee unit value applying from 1 July 2026. Last checked 19 August 2026. Queensland TMR, tow truck licensing scheme
The 72 free hours are a setting on the yard, so accrual starts on the right day without anyone remembering. The written notice is generated on your letterhead, and the worklist shows every vehicle still waiting for one.
What records must a QLD tow operator keep?
A Queensland operator must hold a signed towing authority that states the full destination address before the vehicle moves, and written notice of the daily storage rate given to the owner at least two days before that rate starts. Harassing someone into signing is an offence.
- A signed towing authority stating the full destination address, taken before the vehicle is removed
- The written notice of the daily storage rate, dated at least two days before charging starts
- Records supporting every charge against the standard tow maximum
Queensland register forms are not built. The four approved register forms TowConnect generates are the NSW ones.
What the law says, what the app does
The obligation, and the thing that handles it.
| QLD requires | TowConnect |
|---|---|
| The destination must be on the authority before the vehicle is removed. | The scene sheet puts the destination above the signature, and the signature freezes the destination it was signed against. |
| The first 72 hours of storage are free on a standard tow. | Grace hours are a setting on the yard, so accrual starts on the right day without anyone remembering. |
| Give written notice of the daily rate at least two days before it applies. | The notice of stored vehicle is generated per jurisdiction on your letterhead, and the worklist shows every vehicle still without one. |
| No release fee once towing and storage are paid. | Release fees are one-off charges with triggers, so a Queensland yard simply does not carry one. |
QLD, specifically
Fee units, not dollars
Queensland writes its maximums in fee units and revalues the unit each year, so the dollar figure moves on 1 July without the regulation changing a word. TowConnect stores the converted dollars against the year they applied, which is why a job from last July still reconciles against last July's unit.
The other states
Same product, different rules.
NSW
New South Wales
You run trucks in New South Wales. The state caps what you charge for an accident tow and for storage, and it wants five separate records kept. One of them has to ride in the truck.
VIC
Victoria
You run trucks in Victoria. Inside the controlled area the allocation centre decides who attends, and the accident towing maximums are gazetted every year, so the figure you may charge moves whether you noticed or not.
WA
Western Australia
You run trucks in Western Australia. The towing regime started on 10 January 2025; it is the newest of the four, and charging above the cap is an offence with the sharpest penalties of any state here.
General information, not legal advice. Figures shown are the ones the app uses, with the instrument and the date they came from.
Price a QLD job without guessing.
The cap is checked as you type it, in the office and at the scene. Start free, and bring your old data with you.