Tow Times

What Tow Times does

Tow Times is a monthly trade publication serving the towing and recovery industry, published by TT Publications Inc. and operating under the Tow Times brand from the United States. The magazine is dedicated to towing company owners and managers in the United States and Canada, providing articles on business operations, marketing, safety, training, equipment, legislative developments, and industry news. Its content is produced by an editorial staff and named contributors including Geri Roskopf and Jack Schrock, and is distributed across print, a digital subscription service (towtimesdigital.com), and an online digital archive.

The company's product portfolio extends beyond the core magazine to include a branded e-commerce shop selling collectibles, apparel, plush toys, kids books, and jewelry, as well as MarketSmart Advertising — a marketing services offering for towing operators covering website optimization, branding, social media marketing, and print/web coordination. Content is distributed through towtimes.com, segmented blog categories (Industry News, Fallen Towers, Custom Work, Latest Issue, Legislative Watch, Safety Tips, Truck of the Month), email newsletters delivered via third-party platforms (MailChimp, ConstantContact, BenchMark Email), and participation in industry events and tow shows.

The business model is multi-stream: recurring print and digital subscriptions to the magazine, advertising sales (including through MarketSmart), and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through the e-commerce shop. The company is privately held, has no disclosed parent company, no external investors, and no public funding history. Operations are ongoing with active editorial publishing through 2025-2026, and no material leadership changes, acquisitions, or restructuring actions are disclosed in the source data.

Name

Tow Times

Legal name

TT Publications Inc.

Website

https://towtimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tow Times is a monthly trade magazine published by TT Publications Inc. for towing company owners and managers in the United States and Canada, offering print and digital subscriptions, an e-commerce shop, and MarketSmart marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Publishing

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Towing (48841)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Towing, Recovery & Vehicle Removal Services (TLAJAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Towing, Recovery & Vehicle Storage (Collision-Related) (TLAKAEAM), Highway Incident Management & Traffic Incident Clearance (TIM) (TLAJAJAA)

Keywords

• Trade publishing
• Towing industry media
• Business magazine
• Industry news coverage
• Recovery sector content

Headquarters

HQ city

Longwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tow Times is a monthly trade magazine and digital media brand dedicated to the towing and recovery industry. It publishes articles on operational strategies, safety, marketing, equipment, legislative developments, and industry news aimed at helping towing company owners and managers run more profitable businesses across the United States, Canada, and internationally.

Product overview

Tow Times is a media publishing company offering a portfolio of products for the towing and recovery industry. The core product is the monthly print and digital magazine featuring articles on business challenges, safety, equipment, and industry news. The portfolio includes a digital subscription service for online access to current and archived issues, an e-commerce shop for branded merchandise (Christmas collectibles, apparel, books, toys), and marketing services through MarketSmart. The company also maintains multiple blog sections covering industry topics, operator stories, safety tips, and legislative updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tow Times Magazine
• Tow Times Digital Subscription
• Tow Times Digital Archive
• Tow Times Shop
• MarketSmart Advertising Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Work Truck magazine: Trade publication covering work trucks, upfitting, and vocational vehicles. Comparable to Tow Times in targeting commercial vehicle operators and equipment buyers through editorial content and trade events, with overlap on light- and medium-duty tow equipment.
• Motor.com: Trade media brand covering automotive service, repair, and shop management. Comparable to Tow Times in serving vehicle-service business operators with editorial content and event properties, with overlap on the collision and recovery operator audience.
• Fleet Owner: B2B media brand covering commercial fleet management. Comparable as a trade publication selling advertising, subscriptions, and events to commercial vehicle operators, though Fleet Owner focuses on running fleets while Tow Times focuses on towing and recovery service businesses.
• Automotive Fleet: B2B publication serving commercial car and light-truck fleet managers. Comparable to Tow Times as a subscription-supported vertical media brand for vehicle-intensive operators, though focused on light-duty fleet management rather than towing services.
• Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT): Trade media brand covering heavy-duty trucking fleets, equipment, and operations. Comparable to Tow Times in serving commercial vehicle service operators with editorial, digital, and event properties, with overlap specifically on heavy-duty towing and recovery audiences.
• Transport Topics: Long-standing US trucking industry trade publication owned by American Trucking Associations. Comparable to Tow Times as a subscription-based vertical media brand serving commercial vehicle operators, though operating at much larger scale and covering trucking more broadly than towing specifically.

Direct peers

• American Towman: Trade publication covering the US towing and recovery industry. Directly comparable to Tow Times in subject matter — both serve towing operators with editorial coverage, directories, and events — making it the most direct competitive peer in the niche.
• Tow Industry Week: Industry newsletter and trade media outlet covering the towing sector. Comparable to Tow Times in audience and editorial focus on towing operators, though typically distributed digitally rather than via monthly print.

Regional players

• Hard Hat News (Heads Up Marketing): Niche trade publication serving construction and heavy equipment service sectors. Comparable to Tow Times as a small, privately held trade magazine monetized through advertising and subscriptions to a specialized commercial-vehicle operator audience.

Others

• TowBook (by Beacon Software): SaaS provider of dispatch and management software for towing companies. Comparable to Tow Times in serving the same towing-operator buyer with a value proposition that improves business operations; appears as an integrated partner on the Tow Times website.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/towtimes
• Xx.com/towtimesmag
• Facebookfacebook.com/towtimesmagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tow-times-mag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tow Times