Owner guide
How to document tow jobs with photos
Last updated
The short answer
Document every tow with dated photos taken before you touch the vehicle, during loading, and at drop-off, plus a short note about anything unusual. Store them with the job record so you can find them later if a customer questions the condition of a vehicle.
Why should every tow be photographed?
Photos give you a factual record of what a vehicle looked like before and after your driver handled it. When a customer says a scratch is new, a clear photo taken at pickup settles it faster and more fairly than anyone's memory.
A routine that covers every job, not just the ones that look risky, is the one that helps. You never know in advance which job will be questioned.
What should your photo rule say?
Write the rule on one short sheet: photos on every job, the views you require at pickup, at the scene and at drop-off, a written note when something unusual is seen, and who checks a few jobs each week. Notes made at the time carry more weight than ones written days later.
The shot-by-shot list a driver follows in the field is in the driver guide on tow truck photos, so hand your crew that instead of writing your own. Your part as the owner is the rule, the checking and what happens when a customer disputes damage.
- Photos on every job, with no exceptions for jobs that look easy.
- The required views, agreed with the crew and written down.
- A note at the time for anything unusual.
- A named person who spot-checks a few jobs each week.
Where should the photos be stored?
Keep photos attached to the job they belong to, not scattered in drivers' camera rolls. A record you can find by customer or date is useful. A pile of unlabeled images on someone's phone is not.
Keep the record consistent too. If photos, times and notes all sit on the job in order, you can reconstruct what happened without calling anyone.
How does this work without extra steps for drivers?
Photos only get taken if it is easy, so take them from the same place the driver already uses for the job. The driver's job page in TowSitePros lets them add photos from the job link with no app, and they are filed on the job and visible to the office.
Entries on the job history, such as statuses, notes and photos, are recorded with a time and cannot be edited or deleted in the product. Use your own judgment about how long to keep records, and check with your insurer or advisor if you are unsure.
What do you do when a customer disputes damage?
Pull the job first and stay calm on the phone. Open the pickup photos and the drop-off photos for the same job side by side, read the notes written at the time, and check the times on the timeline before you say anything about who is right.
If the record shows the damage was there at pickup, share the photos and explain what you see. If it shows something you did not expect, say you will look into it and involve your insurer or advisor. Do not promise an outcome you cannot back up, and do not argue in writing.
Step by step
Make it a rule
Decide that every job gets photos, and make it a normal part of every job for every driver.
Agree the required views
Decide which views every driver takes at pickup, at the scene and at drop-off, and hand out the driver photo guide so the list is the same for everyone.
Require a note for anything unusual
Ask drivers to write down anything odd at the time, in plain words, such as a locked wheel or items left inside.
Choose where the record lives
Attach the photos and notes to the job record so they can be found by customer or date, not left in camera rolls.
Spot-check a few jobs a week
Have one person open a few finished jobs and confirm the photos and notes are there. Tell the crew what you found.
Decide how long you keep records
Pick a retention period with your insurer or advisor and write it down.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos is enough?
Enough to show the whole vehicle from every side, any existing damage, and the vehicle secured and delivered. There is no magic number. Consistency across every job matters more than the count.
Do photos protect me from every damage claim?
They help, but they do not settle every dispute. They are one piece of evidence alongside your notes and timeline. For legal or insurance questions, talk to your own advisor.
What if the customer does not want photos taken?
Explain that the photos protect both sides and are part of how you work. If there is still a problem, note it on the job and let your dispatcher or owner decide how to proceed.
Can photos be time-stamped?
Most phone cameras record when a photo was taken, and a system that files photos on the job will record when they were added. Use both, so the timeline is clear.
See what your towing website would look like
TowSitePros is $99 a month. 7-day free trial: your card is set up when you start, nothing is charged until the trial ends, and cancelling before then costs you nothing.
See your siteSee pricingNo contract. No setup fee. You keep your domain.