Auto auctions move millions of cars a year, and every one of them needs a truck. Here’s which auction companies send tow work, what kind of work it is, how to sign up with each one, and the honest tradeoffs.
The major nationwide auto auction companies that send tow work are Copart and IAA (salvage auctions), Manheim (wholesale dealer auctions, through its Ready Logistics and Central Dispatch transport arms), and OPENLANE / ADESA (digital wholesale marketplace and its transport arm). Copart is the only one with a public tow provider application. The rest route work through their transport arms or local branches — the list below has each verified path.
Auction work is steady, set-rate, and heavy on damaged cars. Read the tradeoffs section before you sign.
Hauling for auctions? Message Ryan. Auction work needs on-hook and cargo limits most general policies get wrong — and the auction will check your certificate before you haul your first car.
Inbound hauls. The core of auction tow work. You pick up vehicles — often wrecked, inoperable, or repo’d — from homes, body shops, tow yards, dealerships, and insurance pickup points and bring them into the auction yard. Copart states it tows over 2.5 million vehicles a year in the U.S. and Canada.
Buyer delivery. After a vehicle sells, someone has to move it to the buyer: a dealer lot, a repair shop, or an exporter. IAA runs IAA Transport for delivery of purchased vehicles, including local Auto Tow delivery.
Yard moves. Moving vehicles around inside auction lots — staging, repositioning, loading for transport. Smaller jobs, but they add up at big yards.
Port deliveries. Many auction vehicles are bought for export. If you haul to a port, you may need a TWIC card for port access — check the port’s requirements before you accept that work.
The common thread: a lot of the vehicles don’t run. If your trucks and drivers can’t load inoperable cars cleanly, auction work will eat you alive in time and damage claims.
The major auction companies: the list
Every entry below was verified from a public source. Where a signup path could not be verified, it says so — we did not invent application links.
Copart — salvage auction
What it is: The largest salvage vehicle auction company in North America. Copart states it tows over 2.5 million vehicles annually in the United States and Canada.
What work it sends: Inbound tows bringing vehicles into Copart yards, plus delivery of sold vehicles.
How to join: Copart runs a public tow provider application: copart.com/towproviders. Fill out the form on that page and Copart responds with more information.
Money notes: Copart lists consistent volume, prior-day dispatch, email dispatch, and weekly pay among the benefits of joining as a tow provider. Per-job rates are set in the contract and are not publicly published.
IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) — salvage auction
What it is: The other major salvage auction company, with auction facilities across North America. IAA runs its own tow network — it publicly recruits tow partners and shows up at industry events like the Florida Tow Show to build that network.
What work it sends: Inbound tows into IAA branches, plus delivery of purchased vehicles through IAA Transport (including local Auto Tow delivery).
How to join: No public tow-provider application page could be verified. Contact IAA through their published channels — or talk to the tow network team at your local IAA branch — and ask about joining the tow network.
Money notes: Per-job rates are set in the contract and are not publicly published.
What it is: The largest wholesale dealer auction company in North America, a Cox Automotive brand. Manheim itself doesn’t run a tow provider program like Copart — the transport work flows through its logistics arms.
What work it sends: Transport of dealer-purchased vehicles from Manheim auctions to dealerships and other destinations. This is mostly single-vehicle and multi-vehicle transport, not salvage recovery — flatbed/rollback work fits here.
How to join: Two channels, both verified:
Ready Logistics (Cox Automotive’s full-service transport arm, 6,500+ transport providers in its network): apply through Ready Logistics’ published transport-provider channels at readylogistics.com. No direct signup URL verified.
Central Dispatch (Manheim’s self-service load board connecting shippers and transport providers): register as a transport provider at centraldispatch.com. Dealers post loads; you pick the ones that fit your trucks and lanes.
Money notes: On Central Dispatch you see posted loads and rates before you accept. Ready Logistics rates are set in the contract and are not publicly published.
OPENLANE / ADESA — digital wholesale marketplace + transport
What it is: OPENLANE is the digital wholesale marketplace that grew out of the KAR / ADESA group (ADESA Canada and TradeRev were folded into OPENLANE Canada). Transport for the marketplace runs through OPENLANE Transport (formerly CarsArrive), whose network has included 4,500+ transport companies and 30,000 trucks.
What work it sends: Transport of wholesale vehicles bought and sold on the OPENLANE marketplace — dealer-to-dealer moves, auction-to-dealer delivery, and related logistics.
How to join: No public tow-provider signup page could be verified. Contact OPENLANE Transport through their published channels and ask about joining the transport network.
Money notes: Rates are set in the contract and are not publicly published.
Ritchie Bros. — heavy equipment auctions (worth knowing)
What it is: A major auction company for heavy equipment, trucks, and industrial machinery — not cars. Worth knowing if you run heavy-duty trucks.
What work it sends: Moving light-duty trucks, small construction equipment, and similar items to and from auction yards.
How to join: No formal tow-provider program verified. The practical path is local: talk to the yard manager at your nearest Ritchie Bros. location and ask to be added to their transporter list.
Money notes: Rates are negotiated per job and are not publicly published.
How to get signed up: the general process
Apply to the right channel. Copart has a form. Manheim work goes through Ready Logistics or Central Dispatch. IAA, OPENLANE, and Ritchie Bros. go through branch or transport-team outreach. There is no single application covering all of them.
Expect vetting. Insurance certificates, business license, equipment list, and driver records. Auction companies move high volumes of other people’s property — they check who they hand it to.
Get the rate schedule and contract in writing. Rates, payment timing, damage-claim rules, and termination terms. Copart states weekly pay; other companies’ payment timing is not publicly documented — ask before you sign.
Start with one yard. Build a track record at your nearest auction location before you commit to covering a wide territory. Reliability is how you get more volume.
Requirements: what you’ll need
Flatbed / rollback and a winch. The core tools. Much of the work is inoperable vehicles.
Ability to load damaged cars. Missing wheels, no steering, locked-up drivetrains, airbags deployed. If your crew can’t load it without causing more damage, the damage claim lands on you.
Insurance that matches the contract. Typically commercial auto liability, on-hook coverage for the vehicle in tow, and garagekeepers if you store vehicles. Check the contract’s exact limits. Take the coverage quiz →
Operating authority if you haul interstate. Crossing state lines with vehicles for hire generally means USDOT registration and the right operating authority — confirm yours before you take interstate loads. Check state requirements →
TWIC card for port deliveries. If you haul export vehicles into a port, you may need a Transportation Worker Identification Credential for port access. Check the port’s requirements first.
Photo documentation habit. Photograph every vehicle at pickup and at delivery. Auction work is damage-claim work — photos are your defense.
Honest tradeoffs
Rates are set by the auction, not by you. Auction tow work pays off the auction’s rate schedule. It is generally below retail cash-call rates. The tradeoff is steady, predictable volume.
Damaged cars are the job. Expect inops, missing keys, deployed airbags, biohazards, and cars that have been sitting for months. Budget extra time per load and extra care on documentation.
Missed pickups cost you. Auctions run on tight schedules with storage clocks. If you miss a pickup window, you can be on the hook for storage fees or lose the load. Don’t overcommit your trucks.
Damage claims are part of the business. You are handling wrecked vehicles that already have damage. Without pickup and delivery photos, every pre-existing dent becomes your problem. Document everything.
Volume can crowd out better work. Auction loads are easy to fill a day with. Make sure the day is actually profitable before you let auction volume displace your retail, motor club, and rotation work.
You sign up as a tow or transport provider with the auction company. Copart runs a public tow provider application. IAA, Manheim, and OPENLANE/ADESA route the work through their transport arms or local branches, so you apply through those channels. The list on this page has each company's verified signup path.
What kind of towing work do auto auctions need?
Mainly inbound hauls — bringing vehicles into the auction yard from homes, body shops, tow yards, and insurance pickup points — plus delivery of sold vehicles to buyers, yard moves, and port deliveries for export vehicles.
How much do auto auctions pay tow companies?
Rates are set by the auction company or its transport arm in the contract and are not publicly published. Copart states it pays its tow providers weekly. Get the rate schedule in writing before you sign.
What equipment do I need to haul cars for auctions?
A flatbed or rollback and a winch are the core tools. Much of the work is damaged or inoperable vehicles, so you need to be able to load cars that do not run, do not steer, or are missing wheels. If you haul across state lines, you need the right operating authority.
Is hauling cars for auctions steady work?
Volume is steadier than retail tow work because auctions move cars every day, but rates are set by the auction and the work includes a lot of damaged, hard-to-load vehicles. It works best as a steady base of volume alongside your own retail and motor club work.
Informational only — not legal advice and not a quote. Auction rates, payment terms, and contract details are set by each auction company and change — confirm the current rate schedule and contract terms with the company before you sign. Requirements change — confirm the exact limits with your state DOT / public utilities commission and your insurance company before you buy.