Tip #71: The hook fee is the price of getting the truck to you and your car on it
The hook fee is the fixed charge at the start of every tow. It covers dispatch, the drive to you, loading the car and the driver's time at the scene. The miles to the destination are charged separately.
Tip #71 in one line
The hook fee is the fixed charge at the start of every tow. It covers dispatch, the drive to you, loading the car and the driver's time at the scene. The miles to the destination are charged separately.
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Call nowWhat the hook fee pays for
Every tow has work that happens before a single mile is driven with your car. A dispatcher takes the call and assigns a truck. The truck drives to you. The driver sets up, secures the scene, positions the truck, and loads and straps the car, whether that is winching it onto a flatbed deck or lifting it on a wheel-lift. The hook fee covers all of that.
It is called a hook fee because, in the old days, it was the charge for hooking the car to the truck. The name stuck even on flatbeds where no hook is involved.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowWhat should not be stacked on top
Because the hook fee already covers getting to you and loading the car, watch for charges that count the same work twice: a separate charge for the miles the truck drove to reach you, a loading fee, or a dispatch fee. Ask the dispatcher what the hook fee includes and whether anything else is added before the per-mile charge.
Heavier vehicles are different. A box truck or bus needs a bigger truck, and the hook fee for that work is set by the size of truck the weight requires. That is a fair difference; you should hear it on the call.
A hook fee that sounds very low is worth a second question. Sometimes the per-mile rate is higher to make up for it, and sometimes extra charges appear at the car. Compare the full total for your trip, not just the opening number.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowHow ours works
For a standard car or light truck, our hook fee is the same for every tow, and the drive from Linden is built into it, so a town at the edge of our area pays the same hook as one next door. Add the per-mile rate to the destination you choose and you have the whole quote. For commercial vehicles, see heavy duty towing.
Call (908) 444-0129 and the dispatcher reads you the hook fee, the miles and the total before the truck rolls. More is in local towing and our towing answers.
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.