Tip #72: A dispatcher who asks a lot of questions is protecting your price
The questions a good dispatcher asks are how the right truck gets sent and the quoted price stays the price. Answer them fully and the job goes the way you were told it would.
Tip #72 in one line
The questions a good dispatcher asks are how the right truck gets sent and the quoted price stays the price. Answer them fully and the job goes the way you were told it would.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowWhat we ask and why
**Exactly where are you?** A street address, cross streets, a mile marker or the nearest exit. A truck cannot help a car it cannot find, and the location sets the miles in the quote.
**Are you safe?** If you are in a travel lane or someone is hurt, call 911 first. We will still come, but the police and EMS come first.
**Make, model and year.** Size and weight decide which truck goes out.
**Is it all-wheel drive, electric or lowered?** Many of these should ride on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Your owner's manual says what your car needs.
**Does it roll, steer and go into neutral?** A car that will not roll needs a winch and sometimes dollies.
**Where are the keys?** Loading is simpler with them.
**Is it in a garage or a tight spot?** Low clearance changes which truck can reach it.
**Where is it going?** The destination sets the rest of the miles.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowHow the answers protect you
Every answer goes into the quote. A dispatcher who sends a wheel-lift to a car that needed a flatbed wastes your time and may cost you a second truck. A dispatcher who quotes without knowing the car does not roll is setting up a price change at the scene.
If an answer changes, such as finding the car will not shift into neutral, call back and tell us. It is better to adjust the plan by phone than at the car.
None of this slows the truck down. The dispatcher assigns the nearest driver as soon as the location and vehicle are clear, and the remaining questions are often finished while the truck is already moving. Good answers mean the driver arrives with the right equipment the first time.
If you cannot answer a question, say so. The dispatcher would rather plan for an unknown than guess wrong.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowTwo minutes on the phone, then the truck
The questions take a couple of minutes, and the dispatcher reads back the price, a flat hook fee plus mileage, before the truck rolls. Call (908) 444-0129. For what to have ready, see our drivers page, emergency towing and towing questions.
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.