Tip #47: Learn to read the mileposts and exit numbers before you need them
A tow truck finds you fastest when you give a milepost and direction on a highway, or two cross streets on a local road. Get in the habit of noticing them now, so you can read one off in the dark when the car dies.
Tip #47 in one line
A tow truck finds you fastest when you give a milepost and direction on a highway, or two cross streets on a local road. Get in the habit of noticing them now, so you can read one off in the dark when the car dies.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowOn highways: mileposts and exits
New Jersey's interstates and the Turnpike and Parkway have small milepost signs along the shoulder, usually every tenth of a mile on the bigger roads. The number on the sign, plus your direction, puts a truck within a few hundred feet of you. Exit numbers on many New Jersey highways match the nearest milepost, so the last exit you passed is a good second clue.
If you cannot see a milepost, give the last exit you passed and the next one you were heading toward, and any landmark: an overpass, a big building, a rest area, a toll plaza. Say north, south, east or west. A dispatcher who knows you are on I-78 westbound past a specific exit can get a truck to you; one who only knows you are on I-78 cannot.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowOn local roads: two cross streets
Off the highway, give the street you are on and the cross streets at each end of your block. A street address is even better. On a long state road like Route 1 & 9 or Route 22, name the business you are in front of; the driver can look it up and pull straight in.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowPractice on the next drive
Next time you are a passenger, look for the milepost signs and notice how often they appear. It sounds trivial. It is the difference between a driver who comes straight to you and one who calls you three times. The same habit helps a 911 call. For the Turnpike and the Parkway, the milepost also tells the Authority's authorized garage where you are, and we take the car from the exit after that. Our emergency towing and streets pages cover the roads we serve.
One more source many drivers forget is the phone itself. Most map apps can show your exact coordinates or a shareable location link. If the dispatcher can receive it, that link is better than any description. Still read out the road and direction as well, because a pin dropped on a highway does not say which side of the median you are on, and on a divided road that detail decides which way the truck approaches.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowMore on nj roads
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Tip #41: On Route 1 & 9, Route 22 or I-78, get as far off the road as you can
- Tip #42: Stopped in a live lane on the Pulaski Skyway or a bridge? Call 911 first
- Tip #43: On the Turnpike or Parkway, the shoulder tow is the Authority's garage
- Tip #44: In a jughandle, tell the dispatcher which side of the highway you are on
- Tip #46: On one-way streets in Newark, Jersey City or Elizabeth, give the block, not just the street
- Tip #49: Assume passing drivers will not move over, and stand where they cannot hit you
- What to do when your car breaks down in New Jersey
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- All posts
Need towing and roadside assistance right now? One call, truck on the way.
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