Tip #64: Learn the names of the hidden surcharges before you see them on a bill
Most surprise tow bills are built from small extra lines: admin, fuel, after-hours, waiting time, extra labor, gate or release fees. Ask about each by name before dispatch and get the total in writing.
Tip #64 in one line
Most surprise tow bills are built from small extra lines: admin, fuel, after-hours, waiting time, extra labor, gate or release fees. Ask about each by name before dispatch and get the total in writing.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowThe usual suspects
**Admin or paperwork fee.** A charge for writing the bill. Ask what work it pays for.
**Fuel surcharge.** Often a second charge for the miles you already paid per mile.
**After-hours, weekend or holiday rate.** A premium for breaking down at an inconvenient time.
**Waiting time.** Billed when the driver waits at the scene. Sometimes fair, if you kept the truck waiting a long time; worth asking how it is counted.
**Extra labor or special equipment.** Dollies, skates or winching added on after the fact. Some jobs really do need them; you should hear about it before the work starts.
**Gate or release fee.** Charged by storage yards to hand the car back, sometimes outside business hours.
**Storage.** Billed by the day while the car sits in a yard.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowThe question that heads them off
Ask the dispatcher: is that the total, and is there anything at all that could be added at the car? Then name the lines above. A clear no on each, sent to you in writing, is your protection. If something about the job is unusual, such as a car down an embankment, the right time to agree a price for it is before the truck arrives, not after.
When a new charge appears at the car, ask the driver to call dispatch and confirm it before you agree. If it was not in the quote, you can say no.
Afterwards, read the receipt line by line against what you were quoted. Any line that was not mentioned on the phone deserves a question, and you are entitled to an answer before you pay it.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowWhat our bill contains
A tow from us is a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate to the destination you choose. No fuel surcharge, no night or holiday rate, no paperwork fee, and no storage because the car goes to your shop, not our yard. A winch out is quoted up front when that is the job. Roadside calls are one flat price each.
Call (908) 444-0129 for the total before the truck rolls, and see how a tow is priced or our towing answers for more.
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.