Local Towing NJ | Flat-Rate Tow Truck, Union County & Beyond

Local tow

What a local tow from The NJ Towing Service is and how it differs from an emergency tow

A local tow moves a vehicle a short distance within our 45-minute area, dispatched now or scheduled for a window you choose, at a flat hook fee plus mileage quoted on the call, on a wheel-lift or a flatbed depending on the vehicle.

Most of the towing that happens in Union County is not a truck racing to a highway shoulder. It is a car in a Cranford driveway that needs to get to the mechanic on Route 22. It is a shop in Elizabeth sending a customer's car to the alignment place across town. It is a dealer on Route 1 moving a trade-in to the auction lot. It is somebody in Rahway who bought a car in Woodbridge on Facebook Marketplace and does not have plates yet. That is local towing, and it is most of our daytime board.

The price is the same structure as every tow we do: a hook fee for dispatch and loading, plus mileage to the destination at a per-mile rate. Inside Union County and the near side of Middlesex and Essex, most local tows fall within the base mileage, so the number the dispatcher quotes at (908) 444-0129 is close to the hook fee alone. There is no fuel surcharge, no after-hours surcharge and no fee for riding along. The receipt matches the quote.

Dispatched now, or scheduled for tomorrow morning

A local tow can be an emergency in everything but name: the car will not start and you need it at the shop today. It can also be a Tuesday-at-nine appointment booked on Monday night. Both are the same price. Scheduled tows get a window you choose, and the driver calls before he arrives so nobody is waiting on a curb.

Wheel-lift when it is fine, flatbed when it is not

A front-wheel-drive commuter car that rolls and steers rides a wheel-lift for a few miles at a slightly lower hook fee. An all-wheel-drive, electric, lowered, luxury or non-rolling car rides a flatbed. The dispatcher decides from the make and model and tells you which one is coming and why. We never send a flatbed to a car that does not need one, and we never send a wheel-lift to a car that does.

Why the truck starts in Linden and why that matters for a short tow

On a short tow the drive to you is most of the job. Our yard is at Turnpike Exit 13, on Routes 1 & 9 and Route 27, one Parkway exit from Clark and Cranford, minutes from Route 22 and I-78. Elizabeth, Rahway, Roselle, Union, Hillside, Westfield, Carteret, Woodbridge and Newark are all under twenty minutes. That is why a local tow here is fast and why the quote is small.

What you get at the end

An itemized receipt with pickup, destination, mileage and the service. Photographs at both ends on request. Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash on site, and net terms for shop, dealer and fleet accounts. Read how the number is built on the towing cost section of the homepage.

Need a car moved across town today or tomorrow? One number on the phone, the same number on the receipt.

Call (908) 444-0129 Emergency towing

Shop towing

Local towing to and from mechanics, body shops and tire shops on Route 22, Route 27, Route 1 and St. Georges Avenue

We tow cars from driveways and lots to the repair shop you choose, between shops when the work moves, and back to the owner when it is done, with the shop's address and drop-box routine kept on file for repeat customers.

The repair corridors in our territory are Route 22 from Hillside through Union, Springfield and Mountainside to Watchung and Green Brook; Route 27 and St. Georges Avenue from Elizabeth through Linden and Rahway to Metuchen; Route 1 from Newark through Linden, Avenel and Woodbridge to Edison; and Springfield Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue through the Essex towns. Half the shops on those roads know our trucks by sight.

Driveway to the mechanic when the car will not start

The most common local tow. The car is in the driveway in Cranford, Westfield, Clark or Roselle Park and it will not turn over, or it started but the check-engine light is flashing and you are not driving it. We tow it to your shop, leave the key in the drop box if the shop is closed, and text you a photo of it in the lot.

Shop to shop when the work moves

A mechanic in Elizabeth sends the car to a transmission specialist in Union. A body shop in Rahway sends a finished car to the alignment rack in Linden. Shops book these the night before and we run them as a route in the morning. Accounts get a direct line and a monthly itemized invoice.

Tire shops when there is no spare

A flat tire with no usable spare is a local tow to the tire shop you choose. Route 22 and Route 1 have dozens, and many are open Sunday. The dispatcher quotes the tow on the same call as the tire attempt, so there is no second callout.

Back to the owner when the repair is done

A shop that does not have a driver, an owner who cannot get to the shop before it closes, a car that was fixed but the owner is out of town. We pick up from the shop and deliver to the driveway, photographed at both ends.

Shop or dealer moving cars every week? Set up an account and get a direct line and one monthly invoice.

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact for an account

Tow or drive

Cars that run but should not be driven: when a local tow costs less than the damage a short drive causes

Tow instead of drive when the car overheats, the oil or brake warning is on, the transmission slips, a wheel bearing grinds, the check-engine light flashes, the steering pulls hard, or the car was in a collision; a short tow costs less than the repair a limp to the shop can cause.

The car that still runs is the hardest one to make the right call on. It might make the four miles to the shop on Route 22. It might also turn a cheap repair into a rebuild on the way. Describe the symptom honestly and the dispatcher will tell you whether to take the tow, even when it means a smaller bill for us.

Overheating, coolant loss and steam from the hood

A temperature gauge in the red is a head gasket one traffic light from failing. Shut it off, let it cool, tow it. The tow is a fraction of the engine work, and the shop will thank you for not cooking it further.

Oil pressure light, knocking, and a flashing check-engine light

An oil light on with the engine running means a bearing is about to spin. A flashing check-engine light is a misfire dumping raw fuel into the catalytic converter. Both are stop-now situations, and both get worse in the four minutes it takes to reach the shop.

Slipping transmission, grinding bearings and dragging brakes

A transmission that flares between gears is burning clutches with every shift. A wheel bearing that grinds can seize at speed. A brake that drags smokes a rotor and can start a fire in the wheel well. None of these is safe on the Turnpike and none is safe on Route 27 either.

After a minor collision, and cars that cannot legally be driven

A bumper tap can push a radiator into a fan or bend a tie rod that lets go at speed. If anything is leaking, rubbing or pulling, tow it; the accident towing page covers the insurance side. And a car with expired registration, no insurance card or a suspended plate cannot legally move under its own power. A flatbed transport to the shop, the dealer or the inspection station is how it gets there without a ticket.

Not sure whether it is safe to drive? Describe the symptom. The dispatcher will tell you honestly.

Call (908) 444-0129 Roadside assistance

Car delivery

Local towing for cars bought online, private sales, auction pickups and vehicles with no plates

A car bought from a private seller, a dealer or an auction that has no plates, no registration or no working engine is moved legally on a flatbed transport from the seller's driveway or lot to your garage, photographed at both ends.

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Bring a Trailer, a dealer's used lot, a Manheim auction in the county. The car is yours as of this afternoon and it cannot legally be driven until the paperwork clears, or it cannot be driven at all. A flatbed transport is how it gets home, and it is a local tow at the same flat rate.

Private sales with no plates yet

Temporary tags in New Jersey come from the dealer or the MVC, not from the seller. Until you have them, the car rides on a truck. We meet you at the seller's address, photograph the car before it moves so the condition at handover is on record, and deliver it to your driveway or your mechanic for the pre-purchase inspection.

Dealer purchases, trade-ins and auction runs

A dealer on Route 22 or Route 1 that needs a sold car delivered, a trade-in moved to the auction lot, or an auction purchase brought back. Dealers book these as a run and get one invoice. Non-running units are winched. The flatbed page covers the specialty cars.

Project cars, barn finds and cars that have not moved in years

No engine, four flat tires, a locked steering column and a garage door barely wide enough. We bring skates, a dolly, boards and patience. The car goes from the Rahway garage it has lived in since 2019 to the shop that is finally going to finish it.

Selling a car and delivering it to the buyer

If you sold the car and the buyer is across the county, we deliver it. Farther than the 45-minute map is a long-distance run quoted per mile with both addresses.

Bought a car and need it home? Give us the seller's address and yours. One price, photographed both ends.

Call (908) 444-0129 Long distance towing

Property towing

Local towing for landlords, property managers and homeowners: abandoned, inoperable and blocking vehicles

With the owner's authorization or the property's documented right to remove, we tow abandoned, inoperable and blocking vehicles from private lots, driveways and garages to the destination the property or the owner chooses.

A car that has sat in the apartment lot in Elizabeth for six months with flat tires. A tenant's dead vehicle in the garage of a house you just bought in Hillside. A contractor's van blocking your driveway in Union at 7 a.m. These are local tows with a paperwork step in front of them, and we tell you exactly what that step is before the truck rolls.

Vehicles you own or are authorized to move

If it is your car, your late relative's car with the estate paperwork, or your tenant's car with their written authorization, it is a normal local tow. Tell the dispatcher where it is going. Non-running units are winched or skated.

Abandoned vehicles on private property

New Jersey requires notice steps before an abandoned vehicle can be removed from private property, and the local police department is usually involved in confirming the vehicle is not stolen and in tagging it. We will tell you what the town requires and tow once it is satisfied. We do not do predatory or unauthorized private-property tows.

Blocked driveways and fire lanes

A car blocking your driveway is a police matter first; the town's officer will usually call the rotation tow. If the officer releases it to you, or if the blocking vehicle is one you are responsible for, we move it.

Estate cleanouts and house sales

A garage full of a relative's vehicles that need to go to a buyer, a donation lot or the scrapper. We schedule a run, move them in one morning, and give the executor a receipt per vehicle.

Vehicle on your property that needs to go? Tell us what it is and whose it is. We tell you the steps and the price.

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact dispatch

Local roads

Local towing on Route 22, Route 27, Routes 1 & 9, St. Georges Avenue, Springfield Avenue and the corridors between towns

Local tows run the arterial roads between towns rather than the highways: Route 22 from Hillside to Green Brook, Route 27 and St. Georges Avenue from Elizabeth to Metuchen, Routes 1 & 9 from Newark to Edison, Springfield and Bloomfield Avenues through Essex, and Route 35 through Woodbridge and Perth Amboy.

A short tow lives on the local roads. These are the ones our trucks run all day, and the notes are what the drivers know about each.

Route 22 local towing from Hillside to Green Brook

The repair-shop and dealer corridor. Jughandles that GPS gets wrong, center-lane left turns, and a dozen shops per mile in Union, Springfield, Mountainside, Scotch Plains and Watchung. Say eastbound or westbound and the name of the shop.

Route 27 and St. Georges Avenue from Elizabeth to Metuchen

The west-side spine of Linden, Rahway and Roselle, then Colonia, Iselin and Metuchen. Tight curbside parking and angled lots at the shops; the driver often loads from the shop's own lot rather than the road.

Routes 1 & 9 from Newark to Edison

Dealer row, the shopping centers and the warehouse belt. Narrow shoulders, so a car that will not start in a lot is loaded in the lot. Give the nearest store and the driver knows the entrance.

Springfield Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue and the Essex corridors

Newark, Irvington, Maplewood and Union along Springfield Avenue; Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Verona and the Caldwells along Bloomfield Avenue. Dense street parking and alternate-side days that decide where the truck stops. The Essex County page has the towns.

Route 35, Amboy Avenue and the Middlesex shore towns

Woodbridge, Fords, Perth Amboy, South Amboy and Sayreville. Shop lots along Route 35 and Route 9, street parking downtown. The Middlesex County page lists every town.

Kennedy Boulevard, Broadway and the Hudson County streets

Bayonne, Jersey City and Hoboken local tows are decided by parking garages and alternate-side rules. Deck clearance under seven feet means the car is skated to the entrance. The Hudson County page covers it.

Tell us the pickup and the shop. The dispatcher knows the road and quotes the mileage exactly.

Call (908) 444-0129 Every town we cover

Local tow cost

How much a local tow costs in New Jersey: hook fee, mileage and what is never on the bill

A local tow costs a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate to the destination, quoted on the call, with most tows inside Union County and the near side of Middlesex and Essex falling within the base mileage, and no night, weekend, holiday, fuel or passenger surcharge.

The hook fee

Dispatch, loading, the driver's time on scene. A wheel-lift hook is slightly lower than a flatbed hook. Winching a non-rolling car is part of the hook, not a separate line.

The mileage

Pickup to drop-off, at a per-mile rate. Linden to a shop in Rahway, Elizabeth to a shop in Union, Cranford to a dealer on Route 22: these are a few miles and usually inside the base. Linden to Morristown is more and the dispatcher says exactly how much.

What is never on a local towing bill

No fuel surcharge. No after-hours or weekend surcharge. No passenger fee. No administrative fee. No storage, because the car goes where you told us. No difference between a scheduled tow and one dispatched now.

Paying, accounts and reimbursement

Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash on site. Shops, dealers, property managers and fleets get net terms and one monthly itemized invoice. Roadside plans often reimburse an out-of-network local tow up to the plan limit; the receipt has what they ask for.

Want the exact price for your pickup and your destination? Thirty seconds on the phone, no obligation.

Call for a quote How towing pricing works

Service area

Local towing coverage by county: every town within 45 minutes of Linden

Local towing is dispatched from Linden to 163 towns in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, with the shortest drives and smallest quotes in Union County and the neighboring parts of Middlesex and Essex.

Zone 1: the towns where a local tow is minutes and the quote is close to the hook fee

Linden, Elizabeth, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Clark, Cranford, Kenilworth, Union, Hillside, Springfield, Garwood, Westfield, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Mountainside, Carteret, Woodbridge and its sections, Perth Amboy, Newark and Irvington.

Zone 2: Plainfield, Summit, Edison, New Brunswick, the Oranges, Montclair, Bayonne, Jersey City

Twenty to thirty-five minutes. The mileage is a little more and the dispatcher quotes it exactly. Shops and dealers here are on the same accounts as everyone else.

Zone 3: Morristown, Somerville, Freehold, Hackensack, Fort Lee, Wayne

Thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Still a local tow at the same structure. Beyond the map it becomes a long-distance run quoted with both addresses.

Inside the map? A local tow is one call away. Outside it? Call anyway and get a per-mile quote.

Call (908) 444-0129 See the full map

Tow destinations

Where a local tow goes: the repair shop, the dealer, your driveway or garage, and what changes at each drop

A local tow ends at the mechanic you choose, a dealer's service lane, your own driveway or garage, a tire shop, an inspection station or a buyer's address, and the only thing that changes at each is how the key is handed over and where on the property a truck can set the car down.

The destination decides a few practical things: whether the car can be left with nobody there, where the truck can drop it, and what the receipt needs to say. The dispatcher asks about all of them on the call so the driver is not improvising in a parking lot at 7 p.m. with a car on the deck and a locked gate in front of him.

To an independent mechanic on Route 22, Route 27 or Route 1

The most common drop. Most independent shops on the Route 22 corridor through Union and Springfield and along Route 27 through Rahway and Linden have a drop box and a spot in the lot for overnight arrivals. The driver sets the car where the shop wants it, puts the key in the box with your name and number on the envelope, and texts you a photo of the car in the lot with the time on it. If the shop is open, the service writer signs. Tell the dispatcher what the shop needs to know, a rattle from the front end or a no-start with a click, and the driver passes it on or writes it on the envelope so the diagnosis starts before you call them in the morning.

To a dealer's service department

Dealers on Routes 1 & 9 in Woodbridge, Edison and Rahway and on Route 22 in Union and Springfield run service lanes with a night drop and a keypad or envelope system. The car goes to the service entrance, not the showroom lot, and the driver knows which door because we deliver there every week. Warranty and recall work often needs the appointment number on the envelope. If the car is under a manufacturer roadside plan, the plan may reimburse a tow to the dealer up to a limit; the receipt carries the pickup, the drop, the mileage and the service, which is what they ask for.

To your own driveway or garage

A car coming home from a shop, a car you bought that has no plates yet, or a car that died at work and is going home until you decide what to do with it. A flatbed needs about forty feet of straight clearance to drop the ramps; a wheel-lift needs less. On a narrow street in Elizabeth or Bayonne the driver drops at the curb and pushes or drives the car the last few feet into the driveway. A garage with a low door or a tight turn is a skate job: the car is set at the apron and rolled in by hand. If nobody will be home, say where the key should go, and the driver photographs the car in the driveway before he leaves.

To a tire shop, an inspection station or a body shop

A flat with no usable spare goes to the tire shop you name, and many along Route 22 and Route 1 are open Sunday. A car that cannot legally be driven goes to the inspection station on a flatbed, and the driver waits through the lane if you ask. A body shop after a collision needs the claim number and the adjuster's name if you have them; the estimate starts faster when they are on the envelope, and the shop can photograph the damage against our pickup photos.

To a buyer, a donation lot or the scrapper

A car you sold across the county is delivered to the buyer with a photo record at both ends so the condition at handover is not an argument later. A donation goes to the charity's designated lot with the title in the glove box or in your hand, whichever the charity asked for. A car going to a licensed scrapper needs the title or the state's junk paperwork; we tell you which and the yard's hours before the truck rolls. Each of these is a local tow at hook plus mileage anywhere inside the 45-minute map.

Tell us where the car is going and who will be there. The driver knows the rest.

Call (908) 444-0129 Flatbed towing

Tow mileage

How hook plus mileage works on a local tow, with worked examples from Cranford, Elizabeth, Jersey City and Westfield

A local tow is one hook fee for dispatch and loading plus a per-mile rate for the loaded miles from pickup to drop-off; the drive to reach you is not billed, the first stretch of loaded miles is inside the base, and the dispatcher reads you the total before the truck moves.

The structure is simple enough to check in your head. There is a hook fee, which is the same whether the car is in your driveway or in a shop lot. There is a per-mile rate for loaded miles only: the distance the car rides on the truck, from where it sits to where it is going. The drive from Linden to reach you is not on the bill. The first few loaded miles are inside the base, so a short tow is the hook fee and nothing more. Past the base, each additional mile is added at the rate. Nothing else is added: not the hour, not the day, not fuel, not a passenger. The examples below use distances rather than dollars, because the exact rate is quoted live at (908) 444-0129 and printed on the receipt.

Example one: a Cranford driveway to a mechanic on Route 22 in Union

About four loaded miles down Centennial Avenue and across to Route 22. Inside the base. The quote is the hook fee, flatbed or wheel-lift depending on the car, and that is the receipt. The truck reaches Cranford from Linden in about fifteen minutes, so from the call to the car sitting in the shop lot is well under an hour on a normal weekday. A wheel-lift for a front-wheel-drive sedan brings the hook down slightly; an all-wheel-drive crossover rides the flatbed at the flatbed hook. Either way there is one line on the receipt.

Example two: an Elizabeth apartment lot to a dealer in Edison

Roughly twelve loaded miles down Routes 1 & 9 through Linden, Avenel and Woodbridge to the dealer row in Edison. That is past the base, so the quote is the hook plus the miles beyond it at the per-mile rate. The dispatcher says the exact number and it does not change if traffic on Route 1 adds twenty minutes to the drive. A car with no plates from a private sale in Elizabeth is the same math on a flatbed, with the seller's address as the pickup and your driveway as the drop.

Example three: a Jersey City parking deck to a body shop in Rahway

About eighteen loaded miles: out of the deck, down the Turnpike extension and the Turnpike to Exit 13, then Route 1 to Rahway. The deck is the variable. Under seven feet of clearance the car is skated to the entrance, which is part of the hook and not a line item. A Turnpike toll on a short hop like this is inside the quoted number, never added afterward; tolls appear as their own line only on a long-distance run. After a collision, insurance usually pays a tow of this distance to the shop you choose, and the receipt is written to make the claim easy.

Example four: Westfield to Morristown, the far edge of local

Around twenty-two loaded miles up I-78, Route 24 and I-287 to a specialist shop in Morristown. Still a local tow, at the hook plus the miles past the base. Beyond about an hour from Linden, or once the drop is outside the nine-county map, the same car becomes a long-distance quote with both addresses, tolls and the return leg in one number. The dispatcher tells you which structure applies before you decide, and the local number is the same at 2 a.m. as at 2 p.m.

What does not change the number

The time of day, the day of the week, a holiday, the weather, a passenger, a stop to grab your things from the car, a shop that is closed when the driver arrives, or a car that needs winching onto the deck. The only thing that changes a quoted local tow is a change you make: a different destination, or a second vehicle. Then the dispatcher quotes the new number before the driver changes course, and you say yes or no.

Give the dispatcher the two addresses and the car. The number comes back in thirty seconds, and it is the number on the receipt.

Call for a quote How towing pricing works

Common tows

The twenty most common local towing scenarios across Union, Middlesex, Essex and Hudson County, and what each one needs from you

The local tow board is mostly no-starts in driveways and lots, cars that should not be driven to the shop, cars bought without plates, shop-to-shop moves, dealer and auction runs, property cleanouts and commuter-lot breakdowns, and each one is a hook plus mileage tow with one specific detail the dispatcher asks about.

Scenarios 1 to 4: the car will not start where it sits

One, the driveway no-start on a Monday morning in Westfield or Clark: a jump start is tried first if it sounds like a battery, otherwise a wheel-lift to your shop. Two, the car that died in the office lot on Route 1 in Woodbridge and needs to go home or to a shop before the lot gate closes. Three, the car that will not start at the train station in Rahway, Cranford or Metuchen at 7 p.m.; permit lots close, so say which lot and which level. Four, the car in an apartment complex lot in Elizabeth, Union or Hillside where management wants it gone by morning and you want it at a shop, not a rotation yard.

Scenarios 5 to 8: it runs, but it should not be driven

Five, overheating on the way home with the gauge in the red. Six, a flashing check-engine light. Seven, a transmission that flares between gears or a bearing that grinds at speed. Eight, a minor collision in a parking lot with a bumper rubbing a tire or a fluid leak under the front. All four are covered in the tow-or-drive section above, and all four are cheaper as a tow than as a drive. After a collision the receipt carries the claim number, and the shop gets our pickup photos.

Scenarios 9 to 12: the car cannot legally move

Nine, a car bought from a private seller in Woodbridge or Newark with no plates. Ten, a car with expired registration or a suspended plate going to the inspection station or the shop that will fix the reason it failed. Eleven, a car whose insurance lapsed and cannot be driven until it is reinstated. Twelve, a car that failed inspection for emissions and needs the shop before it can be re-tested. Each rides a flatbed, and proof of ownership is the one document the driver checks before the ramps come down.

Scenarios 13 to 16: shops, dealers and auctions moving inventory

Thirteen, shop-to-shop transfers when the work moves from the mechanic to the transmission or alignment specialist. Fourteen, a dealer moving a trade-in to the auction lot or a sold unit to the buyer's driveway. Fifteen, a body shop sending a finished car back to the customer who cannot get there before closing. Sixteen, a rental or fleet vehicle returned to the branch after a breakdown. These run as scheduled routes in the morning on account with one monthly invoice; the Middlesex County and Union County pages list the corridors where most of these shops sit.

Scenarios 17 to 20: property, projects and everything else

Seventeen, the project car that has not moved in years going to the shop that will finally finish it, with skates and a dolly. Eighteen, an estate cleanout with three vehicles going to a buyer, a donation lot and the scrapper in one morning. Nineteen, a tenant's dead car in a landlord's garage with the tenant's written authorization. Twenty, a motorcycle or a small trailer that needs to get across the county without being ridden or dragged behind a car. Each is a local tow with one paperwork question, and the dispatcher asks it on the call so there is nothing to sort out at the curb.

Your situation is probably on this list. Describe it and the right truck is dispatched.

Call (908) 444-0129 Winch out

Before you call

What to have ready before you call for a local tow, and how day and night tows differ in everything but price

Have the pickup address or nearest cross street, the destination and its hours, the make, model and drivetrain, whether the car rolls and steers, who has the key and how you will pay; a night tow costs the same as a day tow and differs only in that shops are closed, so the key goes in a drop box and you get a photo.

A local tow is a two-minute call when you have five things in front of you. The dispatcher asks them in the same order every time, and the answers decide which truck comes, how long it takes and what the number is.

The pickup: address, cross street and where the car is on the property

The exact address, or on a road the nearest cross street and your direction of travel. Then where on the property: the driveway, the back of the lot, level three of the deck, the garage with the door that sticks. On Route 22 say eastbound or westbound and the name of the shop or store beside you, because the jughandles decide how the truck approaches. In Jersey City or Hoboken, say whether the street is alternate-side today and whether there is a hydrant or a loading zone the truck can stop beside legally.

The destination and its hours

The shop's name and town, or the address if it is a home. Whether it is open when the driver will arrive, and if not, whether there is a drop box or a night drop. Whether anyone will be there to sign. For a dealer, the service department rather than sales. For a tire shop on a Sunday, whether you confirmed they are open. If you do not have a shop yet, say so; the dispatcher will not pick one for you, but the Union County page lists the repair corridors and the driver can hold the car at the yard until you choose, with no storage charge for a reasonable decision.

The car: make, model, drivetrain and whether it rolls and steers

Make, model and year decide wheel-lift or flatbed. Say if it is all-wheel drive, electric, lowered or has a body kit. Say whether it rolls, steers and shifts into neutral, or whether the steering column is locked, the parking brake is stuck or the tires are flat. Say whether the key is with the car, with you or lost. A locked, non-rolling car with no key is still a local tow; it just brings skates, and knowing that before the truck leaves saves a second trip and a second hour.

Payment, riding along and the receipt

Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash on site; net terms for shop, dealer and fleet accounts. Say how many people are with the car; one passenger usually rides in the cab. Say if you need the receipt in a particular name or with a claim number for insurance or a roadside plan reimbursement. Photos at both ends are taken on request at no charge, and they are worth asking for on any car you do not own outright.

Day versus night: what changes and what does not

The price does not change. The truck's response from Linden is often faster at night because Routes 1 & 9, Route 22 and the Parkway are empty. What changes is the destination: most shops are closed, so the car goes to the lot with the key in the drop box and you get a photo with the time, or the car goes home and to the shop in the morning as a second local tow. Lit, safe pickup spots matter more at night; if you are on a road, get off the shoulder and stand behind a barrier. Apartment lots and decks with gates need a code or a call to the office, and the driver has both before he leaves. An emergency tow from a highway shoulder at night is dispatched the same way, with the safety steps first.

Five answers and the truck is moving. Call with the two addresses and the car.

Call for a tow Emergency towing

Related services

Local tow, roadside fix, flatbed or recovery: the other services that start with the same call

The same dispatcher sends a wheel-lift for a short tow, a flatbed for AWD and EV cars, a roadside technician when the car just needs a jump or a tire, a winch-out when it is stuck, or a heavy-duty truck for commercial vehicles.

When you do not need a tow at all

A dead battery is a jump start. A flat with a good spare is a tire change. Keys inside is a lockout. An empty tank is fuel delivery. Each costs less than a tow and ends with you driving away. Describe the symptom and the dispatcher tells you.

When the local tow needs a specific truck

AWD, electric, lowered, luxury and non-rolling cars go on a flatbed. Motorcycles go in a chock on the motorcycle truck. Vans, box trucks and buses are heavy-duty. The dispatcher picks it from the make and model.

One number for all of it. Describe the vehicle and where it is going and the right truck is sent.

Call (908) 444-0129 All services

Local towing facts

Local towing in New Jersey at a glance: trucks, coverage, hours, price structure and what to have ready

Local towing from The NJ Towing Service is a wheel-lift or flatbed dispatched from Linden 24/7, now or on a schedule, to 163 towns in nine counties, at a flat hook-plus-mileage price quoted on the call with no night, weekend, holiday, fuel or passenger surcharges.

Service	Local towing: a short move with both ends inside the 45-minute map, dispatched now or scheduled for a window you choose; driveway to mechanic, shop to shop, dealer lot to auction, seller's driveway to your garage, property cleanouts
Truck used	Wheel-lift for a front- or rear-wheel-drive car that rolls and steers, for slightly less; flatbed (rollback) for AWD, electric, lowered, luxury, non-rolling and unplated cars; skates or a dolly for low parking decks and tight garages, as part of the hook
Vehicles handled	Cars, SUVs, pickups and vans, cars with no plates or expired registration (with proof of ownership), cars bought online or at auction, cars that run but should not be driven, abandoned or inoperable vehicles with the owner's or the property's authorization
What to have ready	The pickup address or nearest cross street, the destination and its hours, make, model and drivetrain, whether the car rolls and steers, who has the key and where it should go, and how you will pay
Where the car goes	The mechanic, dealer service lane, body shop, tire shop, inspection station, buyer's address or your own driveway or garage; at a closed shop the key goes in the drop box and you get a photo; nobody home means the car set where you said and a timestamped photo texted to you
Coverage	163 towns in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, every one within about 45 minutes of Linden dispatch; Route 22, Route 27, Routes 1 & 9, St. Georges Avenue, Springfield and Bloomfield Avenues and Route 35 between towns; drops more than about an hour from Linden are quoted as long-distance towing
Response	Dispatched now: under twenty minutes to Elizabeth, Rahway, Roselle, Union, Hillside, Westfield, Carteret, Woodbridge and Newark, twenty to thirty-five to zone 2 and thirty-five to forty-five at the edge; scheduled: a same-day or next-day window you choose, and the driver calls before he arrives
Pricing	Flat hook fee plus loaded mileage to the destination, quoted before dispatch; the drive to reach you is not billed and the first stretch of loaded miles is inside the base; a scheduled tow costs the same as one dispatched now; no night, weekend, holiday, fuel or passenger surcharges; no membership
Payment	Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash; shops, dealers, property managers and fleets get a direct line, net terms and one monthly invoice itemized by vehicle; itemized receipt by text or email
Hours	24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every holiday
Phone	Tap to call

Everything about a local tow fits in one table. Booking it, now or for tomorrow morning, takes one call.

Call now Service area

Local Towing by town

Local Towing in every town we serve: 163 local towing pages across 9 New Jersey counties

Local Towing is dispatched from Linden to 163 towns; each town below has its own local towing page with the roads, the lots, the neighborhoods and the price structure for that town.

Pick your town for the local local towing page. Every one is the same phone number, the same flat quoted price and the same 24/7 dispatch; what changes is the drive time from Linden and the roads the truck comes in on.

Local Towing in Hudson County: 12 towns

Bayonne and Jersey City via the Turnpike extension; Hoboken and the Gold Coast within the hour any time of day. Bayonne · Jersey City · Kearny · Harrison · East Newark · Secaucus · Hoboken · Union City · Weehawken · West New York · North Bergen · Guttenberg. County page: towing in Hudson County.

Local Towing in Somerset County: 16 towns

Route 22 and I-287 towns — Watchung, Bridgewater, Somerville and the Bound Brooks. Watchung · North Plainfield · Green Brook · Warren · Bound Brook · South Bound Brook · Bridgewater · Somerville · Raritan · Manville · Franklin Township · Hillsborough · Basking Ridge · Bernardsville · Bedminster · Branchburg. County page: towing in Somerset County.

Local Towing in Morris County: 11 towns

Up Route 24 and I-287 — Chatham, Madison, Morristown and Parsippany. Chatham · Madison · Florham Park · East Hanover · Hanover · Whippany · Morristown · Morris Township · Morris Plains · Parsippany · Montville. County page: towing in Morris County.

Local Towing in Monmouth County: 14 towns

The Parkway and Route 9 south — Matawan, Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown and Freehold. Matawan · Aberdeen · Keyport · Hazlet · Union Beach · Keansburg · Holmdel · Middletown · Marlboro · Manalapan · Freehold · Colts Neck · Red Bank · Atlantic Highlands. County page: towing in Monmouth County.

Local Towing in Bergen County: 26 towns

Southern Bergen along Route 17, Route 46 and the Turnpike — the Meadowlands towns through Hackensack and Fort Lee. North Arlington · Lyndhurst · Rutherford · East Rutherford · Carlstadt · Wood-Ridge · Moonachie · Little Ferry · Ridgefield · Ridgefield Park · Palisades Park · Fairview · Cliffside Park · Edgewater · Fort Lee · Hasbrouck Heights · Teterboro · Lodi · Garfield · Saddle Brook · Elmwood Park · Bogota · Hackensack · Teaneck · Englewood · Paramus. County page: towing in Bergen County.

Local Towing in Passaic County: 9 towns

Clifton, Passaic and Paterson by way of the Parkway and Route 21. Clifton · Passaic · Paterson · Little Falls · Woodland Park · Totowa · Wayne · Haledon · Prospect Park. County page: towing in Passaic County.

Do not see your town? If it is within 45 minutes of Linden we cover it. Call and ask.

Call (908) 444-0129 Full service area

Local towing FAQ

Questions drivers, shops and dealers ask about local towing in New Jersey before they call

The answers below cover price, scheduling, wheel-lift versus flatbed, cars with no plates, accounts, riding along and what happens at a closed shop; dispatch answers anything else live.

How much does a local tow cost in New Jersey?

A local tow is a flat hook fee for the dispatch and the loading plus a per-mile rate for the loaded miles from pickup to drop-off, read as one total before the truck leaves Linden. The drive to reach you is not billed and the first stretch of loaded miles is inside the base, so most tows inside Union County stay at the base number. The hook moves with the truck: a wheel-lift is slightly less than the flatbed an AWD or electric car needs. The hour, the day, the weather and scheduling ahead do not move it; no night, weekend, holiday, fuel or passenger surcharges, no membership. Call (908) 444-0129 with both addresses.

Can I schedule a tow for a specific time?

Yes. Scheduled tows get a window you choose, same-day or next-day, and the driver calls before he arrives. A scheduled tow costs the same as one dispatched now.

Will you send a wheel-lift or a flatbed?

A front- or rear-wheel-drive car that rolls and steers rides a wheel-lift for slightly less. AWD, electric, lowered, luxury and non-rolling cars ride a flatbed. The dispatcher decides from the make and model and tells you which is coming.

Can you tow a car with no plates or expired registration?

Yes, with proof of ownership. A flatbed transport is how a car that cannot legally be driven gets to the shop, the dealer or the inspection station.

The shop is closed when you get there. What happens?

We leave the car in the shop's lot with the key in the drop box and send you a photo, or hold it and deliver first thing in the morning if you prefer. Say which when you book.

Can I ride along?

In most cases one passenger can ride in the cab to the destination. Tell the dispatcher how many people are with the car.

Do you tow cars I just bought from a private seller?

Yes. We meet you at the seller's address, photograph the car before it moves, and deliver it to your driveway or your mechanic. It is a local tow at the flat rate.

Do you offer accounts for shops and dealers?

Yes. Shops, dealers, property managers and fleets get a direct line, net terms and one monthly invoice itemized by vehicle. Set it up by phone or through the contact page.

Is a tow cheaper than driving a car that runs badly to the shop?

Almost always, when the symptom is overheating, an oil light, a flashing check-engine light, a slipping transmission or a grinding bearing. The tow is a fraction of the repair a short drive can cause.

Do you tow to shops outside your service area?

Yes, at the per-mile rate. Anything more than about an hour away is quoted as a long-distance run with both addresses.

Can you move an abandoned car off my property?

If it is yours or you have the owner's authorization, yes. Abandoned vehicles on private property require the town's notice steps and usually the police; we tell you what is required and tow once it is satisfied.

Do you charge more at night or on weekends?

No. The hook and mileage structure is the same at every hour and every day of the year.

Can you tow to my driveway if nobody is home?

Yes. Tell the dispatcher where the car should sit and where the key should go: under the mat, in the mailbox, in a lockbox or handed to a neighbor. The driver sets the car where you said, photographs it in the driveway with the time on the photo and texts you the picture before he leaves. A flatbed needs about forty feet of straight clearance to drop the ramps; on a narrow street the driver drops at the curb and rolls the car the last few feet. Garages with low doors are a skate job and the car is rolled in by hand.

What is the farthest a tow can be and still count as local?

Anything with both ends inside the 45-minute map around Linden, which covers 163 towns across Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties. Westfield to Morristown, Elizabeth to New Brunswick and Jersey City to Rahway are all local tows quoted as hook plus mileage. Once the drop is more than about an hour from Linden or outside the nine counties, the same car is quoted as a long-distance run with both addresses, tolls and the return leg in one number. The dispatcher tells you which applies before you decide.

Can you tow my car out of a parking deck or a tight garage?

Yes. A parking deck with less than about seven feet of clearance will not take a tow truck, so the driver puts the car on skates or a dolly and rolls it to the entrance or the nearest level the truck can reach, then loads it there. That is part of the hook, not a separate charge. A home garage with a low door or a sharp turn works the same way in reverse: the car is set at the apron and rolled in by hand. Tell the dispatcher the deck's clearance sign or the garage layout and the driver brings the right gear the first time.

Question not here? The dispatcher answers it in one sentence and quotes the job in the next.

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact

Local towing across Union, Middlesex, Essex and Hudson County at a flat quoted price, dispatched from Linden