Tip #51: Know the name of the company towing your car before it leaves the curb
Before anyone hooks your car, know the company name, match it to the truck, and get the price in writing by text or email. If you cannot answer who has your car and what it will cost, do not let it leave.
Tip #51 in one line
Before anyone hooks your car, know the company name, match it to the truck, and get the price in writing by text or email. If you cannot answer who has your car and what it will cost, do not let it leave.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowMatch the truck to the call
When you call for a tow, the dispatcher should tell you the company name in the first minute. Write it down. When a truck arrives, look at the doors: a legitimate tow truck carries the company's name on the cab, and that name should match the company you called. If a truck pulls up that you did not call, or the name on the door is not the one you were given, ask the driver who sent him before you hand over the keys.
This matters most on busy roads after a breakdown or a minor crash, when more than one truck may stop. A driver who simply shows up is not your tow. You decide who moves your car, unless a police officer on scene has made that decision for a safety reason.
It also matters later. If the car arrives with new damage, or the bill does not match the quote, you need to know exactly which company to call. A driver who will not give you a company name or a card, or who says he will sort out the price later, is telling you more than he means to. Ask again, and if the answer does not come, keep the keys.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowGet the price in writing before the hook
A verbal price is a start. A price in a text message or an email is a record. Ask for the total, what it includes, and where the car is going, and ask for it to be sent to your phone before the truck is loaded. A company that prices fairly has no reason to refuse.
Our tows are quoted on the phone the same way every time: a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate to the destination you choose. You hear the total before the truck rolls, and the itemized receipt at the end shows the same numbers. How our local towing is priced walks through it.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowThree things to have before the car moves
**The company name and a phone number** that someone actually answers. **The total price** and what it covers. **The destination address**, spelled out, whether that is your shop, a dealer or your driveway. If any one of these is missing, stop and ask.
Keep the name and number in your phone until the car is delivered and the receipt is in your hands. If anything about the job goes wrong, that is what you will need. For more of these short checks, see our towing questions, or call (908) 444-0129 and ask the dispatcher anything before you commit.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowMore on towing rules & pricing
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- What happens to your car after a police-ordered tow in New Jersey
- Towed from private property in New Jersey: your rights
- Towing pricing red flags in New Jersey
- Local tow company vs national roadside network: who actually shows up?
- Moving a car long distance from New Jersey: towing vs car carrier
- Tip #34: Choose the destination before the truck arrives: home, shop or dealer
- Tip #35: Ask the destination about storage charges before you pick it
- All posts
Need towing and roadside assistance right now? One call, truck on the way.
Real dispatcher, 24 hours a day. Quoted price before we roll.