Tip #67: A roadside club and a local tow operator each have a place, so know when to use which
A roadside club or insurer's roadside line sends whichever contracted truck it can find; a local operator sends its own truck. If the club's wait is long or its limits are short, calling a local company and claiming the receipt back is often an option.
Tip #67 in one line
A roadside club or insurer's roadside line sends whichever contracted truck it can find; a local operator sends its own truck. If the club's wait is long or its limits are short, calling a local company and claiming the receipt back is often an option.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowHow each one works
A roadside club, or the roadside line on your insurance policy or credit card, does not usually own trucks. It takes your call and passes the job to a contracted local company. You pay little or nothing at the car, up to your plan's limits, and anything beyond the limit is yours.
A local operator owns its trucks and dispatches them directly. You speak to the company that will do the work, hear its price, and pay at the car. If you have coverage, you send the receipt in to be reimbursed.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowWhen the club makes sense, and when it does not
If your plan covers the job fully and the estimated wait works for you, use it. That is what you pay the membership for.
Consider a local operator when the estimated wait is long and you are somewhere unsafe, when the destination you want is beyond the plan's mileage limit, when the car needs a flatbed the plan's truck does not have, or when the job is a crash and you want to control which body shop gets the car. Many plans allow you to call your own company and file for reimbursement; check yours.
It is also worth knowing what the club's truck will be before it arrives. Contracted trucks vary. If your car needs a flatbed and the plan cannot guarantee one, ask before you wait, because finding out at the scene means starting over.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowUsing us alongside your plan
We are a local operator dispatched from Linden. You hear a flat price before the truck rolls: a hook fee plus mileage for a tow, or one flat price for a roadside job like a jump start, tire change, lockout or fuel delivery. You pay at the car by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash, and get an itemized receipt by text or email that lists exactly what your plan needs to reimburse you. We do not bill plans or insurers directly.
See roadside assistance for the jobs we cover, check our service area, and call (908) 444-0129 for a quote you can compare with your plan's wait.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowMore on accidents & insurance
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- What to do after a car accident in New Jersey
- Tip #36: At a multi-car crash, get people safe before you think about the cars
- Tip #37: Take timestamped photos before the car moves an inch
- Tip #59: Check whether your policy covers roadside help, and keep the receipt either way
- Tip #60: In New Jersey, your own PIP pays your medical bills first after a crash
- Tip #61: Your insurer will ask for a claim number, photos and the police report number
- Tip #66: You can usually choose your tow, but the police decide when safety requires it
- Tip #69: Getting a tow reimbursed is four steps, and the first happens at the car
- 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.