Roadside Assistance NJ | 24/7 Near Linden, No Membership

Roadside help

What roadside assistance from The NJ Towing Service covers and why it is usually cheaper than the tow you were about to call for

Roadside assistance means a technician dispatched from Linden 24/7 to jump a dead battery, change a flat with your spare, open a locked car, deliver gas or diesel, or winch a stuck car back to the road, each at one flat price, with the flatbed dispatched from the same call only if the car still will not drive.

The four calls that account for most of what stops a car, a dead battery, a flat, keys locked inside and an empty tank, are fixed in minutes by a technician with the right tool. None of them needs a tow truck, and paying for one is the most common way drivers overspend on a breakdown. We quote the roadside price on the call, the tech comes, the car runs, you drive. When a roadside call turns out to need the truck after all, the battery is truly dead, there is no spare, the diesel will not prime, the flatbed is dispatched from the same call, not a second one, and you do not pay two callouts.

There is no membership. You call (908) 444-0129, describe the problem, hear the price, and say yes or no. Roadside plans sell peace of mind and then route your call to whichever contractor accepts it, which is why the wait is often an hour or more. We are the company that shows up. Most plans reimburse an out-of-network call anyway, and the itemized receipt we hand you is exactly what they ask for.

Jump start for a dead battery, with the battery tested afterward

A commercial lithium jump pack rated for full-size trucks and diesels, no second car to position, no risk to your electronics from a bad hookup. After the engine starts the tech load-tests the battery and checks charging voltage, so you know in two minutes whether to drive for a while or plan on a new battery. Full details on the jump start page.

Flat tire change with your spare, or a tow to the tire shop

A floor jack, an impact gun, a full socket and wheel-lock set, a torque wrench and portable air, with the truck's amber bar between you and traffic. No usable spare? The tow to the tire shop you choose is quoted on the same call. See the flat tire change page.

Car lockout with wedges and long-reach tools, never a coat hanger

Inflatable wedges and long-reach tools work the interior handle or unlock button without touching wiring or glass. Keys in the trunk, fob locked inside a push-button car, engine running with the doors locked, a child or a pet inside. See the car lockout page.

Fuel delivery for an empty tank, gas or diesel

Enough fuel to reach the next station, delivered to the shoulder, the driveway or the lot. Diesels that ran fully dry get primed. Wrong fuel in the tank gets a tow to a shop, not a start. See the fuel delivery page.

Dead battery, flat, locked out or out of gas? A tech is one call away, no membership required.

Call (908) 444-0129 All services

Roadside near you

Where roadside assistance calls come from within 45 minutes of Linden: station lots, mall lots, parking decks, driveways and the highway shoulder

Most roadside calls come from the commuter lots at Linden, Rahway, Elizabeth, Cranford, Westfield and Metuchen stations, the mall and big-box lots in Woodbridge, Elizabeth and Union, the parking decks of Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken, driveways across Union County, and the shoulders of Routes 1 & 9, Route 22 and I-78, plus the exits where cars come off the Turnpike and the Parkway.

Cars do not break down where it is convenient. They break down where they were parked for nine hours with the dome light on, where they sat all winter, where the gas gauge was ignored for one exit too many. These are the places our technicians go every day, and each one changes what the tech brings and how the call goes.

Train station lots on the Northeast Corridor and the Raritan Valley Line

Linden, Rahway, Elizabeth, Metuchen and Edison on the Northeast Corridor; Cranford, Garwood, Westfield, Fanwood, Plainfield and Roselle Park on the Raritan Valley Line; Summit and New Providence on the Morris and Essex. A car that sat all day with a light on or a door not quite closed, discovered at 6 p.m. by a commuter with no jumper cables and no one to ask. The tech arrives with the pack, the car starts, and the battery is tested so the same thing does not happen at 6 a.m. The Union County page lists every one of these towns.

Mall and big-box lots in Woodbridge, Elizabeth, Union and Edison

Woodbridge Center, the Mills at Jersey Gardens, the Route 22 strip in Union, Menlo Park Mall, the Route 1 big-box lots. Keys locked in the car with the groceries, a flat discovered on the way out, a battery that gave up in the cold. Big lots are easy for the tech to find you in if you say the store you are in front of and the row.

Parking decks in Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Bayonne

Cars that have not moved since the fall. Batteries flat, tires low, sometimes a seized brake. A technician with a jump pack fits in any deck; a flatbed does not. Most deck calls end with the car starting and driving out. If it does not, we dolly it to the entrance and load it outside, and the Hudson County page explains how that goes.

Driveways across Union County before the school run

The first single-digit morning of the year kills every marginal battery in Westfield, Scotch Plains, Cranford, Clark, Summit and Springfield at the same time. We run jump starts from dawn on those mornings and the dispatcher is honest about the queue. A battery that tests weak in November is the reason to replace it before January.

Highway shoulders on Routes 1 & 9, Route 22 and I-78, and the Turnpike and Parkway handoff

Flats with no spare on I-78, dead batteries in the Route 22 jughandles, blowouts from the Routes 1 & 9 potholes. Roadside on a highway shoulder is done with the truck positioned behind you and the amber bar running. The Turnpike and the Parkway are the exception: Turnpike and Parkway shoulders are served by the Authority's authorized garages. Book with us and we take the car from the exit or the garage's lot. The highway section below covers each road.

Gas stations on Routes 1 & 9 and Route 22 with the engine running

The lockout that happens at the pump: doors locked, engine running, keys on the seat. A daily call between Linden and Newark and along Route 22 in Union. The tech opens it damage-free in minutes.

Say where the car is, which store or row or level, and what it is doing. The right tech and the right tool are dispatched.

Call for roadside help Every town we cover

No membership

Roadside assistance without AAA or a membership: why calling the company directly gets you a truck faster and often gets you reimbursed anyway

Calling a local roadside company directly means the person who answers sends the technician, with no contractor being paged in the background, and because most memberships and insurance policies reimburse an out-of-network call up to their limit, the itemized receipt usually gets the money back.

How a membership call actually works

You call a national number. An operator takes your location and vehicle and pushes the job to a network of contractors, who accept it or do not based on where their trucks are and what the plan pays. When nobody accepts, the operator widens the search. The hour you wait is that process, and the truck that arrives is whoever finally said yes.

How a direct call to us works

You call (908) 444-0129. Our dispatcher answers, asks where you are and what happened, quotes the flat price, and sends our technician from Linden. There is nobody to page. The arrival window is built from where the nearest tech actually is.

Reimbursement from AAA and other plans

Most roadside memberships reimburse a service you paid for yourself, up to the plan's limit, because they would rather pay you than wait for a contractor. The reimbursement form asks for the date, the location, the service and the amount, which is what our receipt shows. Submit it and keep the plan for the next time you are far from home.

Reimbursement from your auto insurance

Many policies carry roadside or towing coverage as a rider. It pays a flat amount per incident regardless of who performed the service. The same receipt works.

No annual fee, no minimum, no obligation

Calling to ask the price costs nothing and obligates you to nothing. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash on site. Fleet accounts for businesses get a direct line and one monthly invoice; the contact page explains how to set one up.

When a membership is still worth having

Far from home, on a road trip, in a state where you know nobody. Inside our 45-minute map, a direct call is faster and the plan reimburses it. Outside it, the plan is the number to call. We are not against memberships; we are against waiting an hour in a Woodbridge parking lot for one.

No card to read out, no hold music. Call, hear the price, get the tech.

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact page

Dead battery

Jump start service for cars, trucks, hybrids and diesels, and what the battery test tells you afterward

A jump start uses a regulated commercial jump pack to start the engine without a second car, followed by a load test of the battery and a check of charging voltage that tells you whether the battery will hold or needs replacing.

Why a jump pack beats cables from a stranger

A regulated pack delivers the current the starter needs without the voltage spikes a running car's alternator can push into your electronics through a bad hookup. There is no second car to position nose-to-nose in a tight lot, and the tech knows the terminal locations on cars where the battery is under the seat, in the trunk or behind a plastic cover.

Hybrids, start-stop systems and AGM batteries

Hybrids have a 12-volt auxiliary battery that is jumped normally. Start-stop cars use AGM batteries that want a regulated pack. Both are routine. The tech finds the jump points under the hood even when the battery itself is in the trunk.

Diesels, dual-battery trucks and fleet vans

Our packs are rated for full-size diesels and dual and quad battery banks. Sprinters, box trucks, pickups with a plow, bobtail tractors. Fleet accounts get the direct line. The heavy duty towing page covers the commercial side.

The battery test and what to do with the result

A load test tells you whether the battery holds a charge under demand. A charging voltage reading tells you whether the alternator is doing its job. Good on both: drive for thirty minutes and you are fine. Weak battery: replace it this week. Bad charging: the alternator, not the battery, and the car will die again on the road; a local tow to the shop is the safe call.

Click, click, nothing? A tech with a pack is one call away, and the test means you are not stranded twice.

Call (908) 444-0129 Jump start service

Flat tire

Roadside flat tire change on a New Jersey highway: what the technician brings and what happens when there is no spare

The technician installs your spare with a floor jack, an impact gun, a full socket and wheel-lock set and a torque wrench, with the truck shielding the scene; if there is no usable spare, the tow to the tire shop of your choice is quoted on the same call.

Why you should not change it yourself on the shoulder

Kneeling a few feet from traffic doing seventy with a factory scissor jack that bends. Wheel locks whose key was lost two owners ago. Lug nuts torqued by an impact gun at the last shop. The tech has the tools for all of it and a truck with amber lights parked between you and the lane.

Cars with no spare and inflator kits

Many newer cars have no spare, only a can of sealant and a small compressor that does nothing for a sidewall gash. About a third of flat-tire calls end as a tow for this reason. The dispatcher quotes the tow on the same call so there is no surprise, and takes the car to the tire shop you choose on Route 22, Route 1 or wherever you like.

Blowouts, potholes and bent rims

Routes 1 & 9 through Linden and Elizabeth, Route 27, the Turnpike's truck lanes and every spring's pothole season produce shredded sidewalls and bent rims. If the rim is bent the spare still goes on and the car still drives; the rim gets dealt with at the shop. A donut spare is good for fifty miles at fifty miles an hour.

Trucks, vans and dual rear wheels

A box truck or a dually pickup with a flat needs a jack rated for it and a spare that is often not carried. The tech brings the jack; the tow to a commercial tire shop is quoted if there is no spare.

Flat on the shoulder? Do not kneel next to traffic. A tech installs the spare with the truck shielding you.

Call (908) 444-0129 Flat tire change

Locked out

Car lockout service that opens modern doors without damage, and the situations where you should call 911 first

Lockouts are opened with inflatable wedges and long-reach tools that work the interior handle or unlock button without touching wiring, airbags or glass; if a child or a pet is locked inside, call 911 at the same time as us and whoever arrives first gets them out.

Why a coat hanger costs six hundred dollars on a modern car

Shielded lock rods, side-impact airbag wiring in the door and tight window channels mean a wire down the glass finds the wrong thing. Inflatable wedges spread pressure across the frame; long-reach tools go through the gap and press the button. No marked weatherstrip, no scratched paint, no broken glass.

Keys in the trunk, fob locked inside, engine running

Trunk locked with the keys in it and the rear seat folded down. Push-button-start car with the fob locked inside. Engine running at the pump with the doors locked. All routine, all opened the same way.

A child or a pet inside on a hot day

Call 911 first and us second. The officer can break a window if the child is in distress; the tech opens the door without breaking anything if he arrives first. From Linden, Elizabeth, Union, Woodbridge and Rahway lots are minutes away. Do not wait to see which is faster; call both.

What a lockout service cannot do

We open the door. We do not cut or program keys. If the key is lost rather than locked inside, we get you in and can tow the car to a dealer or an automotive locksmith, or you can call a mobile locksmith to cut one on site. After entry the tech asks for ID and registration or insurance in the car; it protects you.

Locked out right now? A tech opens the door without damage. Child or pet inside: 911 and us, in that order.

Call (908) 444-0129 Car lockout service

Out of gas

Emergency fuel delivery on I-78, Route 22 and every road between, the Parkway and Turnpike exit handoff, and what to do when you put the wrong fuel in

Fuel delivery brings two to three gallons of gas or diesel to the vehicle at a flat delivery price plus the fuel, primes a diesel that ran dry, and tows the vehicle to a shop instead of starting it if the wrong fuel went in the tank.

The stretches where people run out

The Parkway between the Union toll plaza and Raritan has fuel only at the service areas. The Turnpike's express lanes between Exits 11 and 14 have no way off. On those two roads the shoulder is served by the Authority's authorized garages; book with us and the fuel, or the tow, meets the car at the exit or the garage's lot at the same flat price. I-78 through the Watchung hills is a long climb on a low tank. And plenty of calls come from driveways where the car sat on E overnight.

Restarting a gas car

Turn the key to on for a few seconds, two or three times, before cranking, so the pump primes. Most gas cars start on the first real crank. If it does not, the tech diagnoses it and the tow is quoted on the spot.

Priming a diesel that ran dry

Air in the injection system. The tech brings diesel and knows the priming procedure on most trucks and vans, sprinters, box trucks and pickups included. If the system will not bleed on the roadside, the flatbed is dispatched from the same call.

Wrong fuel in the tank

Gasoline in a diesel or diesel in a gas car: do not start it. Starting turns a tank drain into an injector and pump repair. Call, and the car goes to a shop to be drained as a local tow.

Needle on empty and the engine quit? Enough fuel to reach the next station is one call away.

Call (908) 444-0129 Fuel delivery

Highway roadside

Roadside assistance on Routes 1 & 9, Route 22, Route 27, Route 35, I-78 and I-287, and the exit handoff from the Turnpike and the Parkway

Roadside technicians from Linden work every major highway within 45 minutes except the two Turnpike Authority roads, where the authorized garage brings the car off and we take it from the exit; on every other road the truck is positioned behind the vehicle with the amber bar running, and the dispatcher needs the road, the direction and the nearest exit or mile marker.

Garden State Parkway roadside assistance: how the handoff works

Flats and empty tanks between the Union plaza and Raritan, with only two service areas. The shoulder is served by the Authority's authorized garages, not by us; book with us anyway, and once the authorized truck has the car at the exit or in the garage's lot, our tech finishes the job there or tows the car to the shop you choose, at the same flat quoted price. Clark and Cranford are minutes from the yard. Say northbound or southbound and the exit number.

NJ Turnpike roadside assistance: the authorized garage first, then us

Exit 13 is ours, but the shoulder is not: the Turnpike Authority allows only its authorized garages to work it, and we are not one yet. Say car lanes or truck lanes; express lanes have no exit between 11 and 14. State Police often sit behind you with their lights until the authorized truck arrives. The dispatcher tells you how to reach the Authority's help and books our tech to meet the car at the nearest exit or the garage's lot for the spare, the fuel or the tow onward, at the same flat price.

Broke down on the Turnpike or the Parkway? Book with us, and we take it from the exit

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority allows only its authorized garages to tow or work on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, and we are not one of them yet. Call us anyway. The dispatcher tells you how to reach the Authority's roadside help, and you book the rest of the job with us: the moment the authorized truck has the car off the highway, at the nearest exit or in the garage's lot, our truck takes over and moves it to the shop, the dealer or the driveway you choose, at our normal flat quoted price.

Coming soon: a booking assist that connects you to the right authorized garage for your stretch of the Turnpike or Parkway through us, so the highway leg and our leg are arranged in one call. Every other road we serve, including Routes 1 & 9, Route 22, I-78, I-287, I-280, Route 3, Route 46 and every local street, is a direct dispatch from Linden.

Routes 1 & 9 roadside assistance

Through Linden, Elizabeth and Newark and south to Avenel and Woodbridge. Narrow shoulders, lockouts at the gas stations, flats from the potholes. Name the cross street or the business.

Route 22 and I-78 roadside assistance

Overheats on the hills, dead alternators on the I-78 climb, lockouts at the Route 22 strip in Union and Springfield. Say eastbound or westbound and the nearest store or exit.

Route 27 and Route 35 roadside assistance

Stop-and-go through Rahway, Metuchen, Woodbridge and Perth Amboy. Dead batteries and flats. Give the cross street.

I-287 and I-280 roadside assistance

Out to Piscataway, Bridgewater and Morristown, and to the Oranges and Livingston. Thirty to forty-five minutes from the yard, and the dispatcher says so.

On a shoulder? Belted in, hazards on. Call and say the road, the direction and the exit.

Call from the shoulder Service area map

Roadside cost

How much roadside assistance costs in New Jersey: one flat price per service, quoted first, no membership

Each roadside service, jump start, tire change, lockout, fuel delivery and winch-out, has one flat price quoted on the call, with fuel added at cost, no night or weekend surcharge, and no second callout fee if the job becomes a tow.

One price per service

A jump start is one price. A tire change is one price. A lockout is one price. A fuel delivery is one price plus the fuel. A winch out is one price for a standard pull. The dispatcher tells you the number before the tech rolls.

What is never added

No night, weekend or holiday surcharge. No fuel surcharge. No membership. No fee for the battery test. No storage, ever, because a roadside job does not move the car.

If roadside becomes a tow

You pay the tow, hook plus mileage, quoted on scene, and not a second dispatch fee. The emergency towing page explains the tow side.

Paying and reimbursement

Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash. Itemized receipt with date, location, service and amount. Most roadside plans and many insurance policies reimburse it up to their limit.

Get the exact roadside price in thirty seconds. Asking is free.

Call for a quote Emergency towing

Service area

Roadside assistance coverage by county within 45 minutes of Linden

Roadside technicians are dispatched from Linden to all 163 towns in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, with Union County and the neighboring parts of Middlesex and Essex in the fastest zone.

Zone 1: under twenty minutes

All of Union County, Carteret, Woodbridge Township, Perth Amboy, Newark and Irvington. The station lots, the Route 22 strip, the Turnpike exit at 13, the Parkway exit at Clark.

Zone 2: twenty to thirty-five minutes

Edison, Metuchen, New Brunswick, the Brunswicks, Sayreville, Old Bridge; Maplewood, Millburn, the Oranges, Montclair, Livingston; Bayonne, Jersey City, Kearny, Secaucus, Hoboken; Watchung, North Plainfield, Bound Brook; Chatham; Matawan, Hazlet; the Meadowlands towns.

Zone 3: thirty-five to forty-five minutes

Bridgewater, Somerville, Basking Ridge; Madison, Morristown, Parsippany; Holmdel, Middletown, Freehold, Red Bank; Hackensack, Teaneck, Fort Lee, Paramus; Clifton, Passaic, Paterson, Wayne. Longer at rush hour, and the dispatcher says so.

Inside the map? A tech is one call away, no membership required.

Call (908) 444-0129 Full service area

While you wait

What to do while you wait for roadside assistance in a lot, a deck, a driveway or on the shoulder

In a lot or a driveway, stay with the car and have the key and your ID ready; on a highway shoulder, stay belted in the car with the hazards on unless the car is in danger, and keep your phone charged because the technician calls when he is minutes out.

In a lot, a deck or a driveway

Stay with the car so the tech can find you. Say the store, the row or the level. Pop the hood if it is a battery and you can. Have the key ready for a lockout so the tech can confirm it is your car after he opens it.

On a highway shoulder

As far right as the shoulder allows, wheels turned away from traffic, hazards on. Stay belted in the car unless the car itself is in danger; then get behind the guardrail. The tech positions the truck behind you with the amber bar running before he steps out.

Phone and paperwork

Keep the phone charged; the tech calls when he is minutes out. Have your license and registration or insurance card ready. For a lockout, he will ask to see them after the door is open.

Do not accept help from a truck you did not call

On Routes 1 & 9 and Route 22, unsolicited trucks stop at breakdowns. Ours says The NJ Towing Service on the door and the tech says your name. On the Turnpike and the Parkway the only truck that should stop for you on the shoulder is the Authority's authorized garage; ours meets you at the exit.

Hood up or hazards on, phone charged, key ready. Now call.

Call for roadside help What to have ready

Seasonal breakdowns

Roadside assistance by season in New Jersey: winter batteries, spring potholes, summer overheating and fall deer strikes

Roadside calls follow the calendar: dead batteries on the first cold mornings from November through February, bent rims and blowouts in the pothole weeks of March and April, overheated engines and heat-killed batteries in July and August, and deer strikes and wet-leaf slides from October into December, and the technician's kit changes with them.

Winter dead batteries on the first cold morning in Union and Middlesex County

The first morning below twenty degrees is the busiest day of the year for dispatch. A battery that tested marginal in October loses about a third of its cranking power in the cold, and the oil it has to turn is thicker. Driveways in Cranford, Westfield and Union fill the board before seven, then the station lots at Rahway and Metuchen fill it again at six in the evening when commuters come back to cars that sat all day in the wind. The tech carries packs rated for diesels, so a passenger car is never in question, and he load-tests the battery after the start so you know whether you are driving to work or to a parts store. A jump start that reveals a finished battery becomes a tow to the shop you choose, quoted on the same call.

Spring pothole season on Route 22, Routes 1 & 9 and the roads feeding the Parkway

The freeze-thaw weeks of March and April open holes in the right lane of Route 22 through Union and Springfield, the truck lanes of Routes 1 & 9 in Linden and Elizabeth, and the local roads feeding the Parkway around the Union toll plaza. A pothole at forty miles an hour takes out a sidewall and often bends the rim, and a bent rim means the spare goes on but the tire shop is the next stop, not the office. The technician brings a breaker bar and a torque wrench for lugs a shop overtightened, and a low-profile jack that fits under a car sitting on a flat sidewall. If the car has no spare, or the pothole took two tires on the same side, the flatbed is quoted on the same call and the flat tire change fee is not charged on top of it.

Summer overheating in Turnpike traffic and heat-killed batteries in mall lots

July and August bring two calls that look nothing alike. The first is the temperature needle climbing in stopped traffic on the Turnpike between Exits 11 and 14 or on the Parkway approaching the Driscoll Bridge; a car that overheats needs to sit, and driving it another mile on a hot engine can turn a bad hose into a warped head. That is a tow, and the dispatcher says so rather than sending a tech who cannot fix a cooling system on the shoulder; on those two roads the Authority's authorized garage brings the car off the highway and our flatbed takes it from the exit or the garage's lot to the shop, at the same flat price. The second is the battery that dies quietly in a Woodbridge Center or Menlo Park lot after a week of ninety-degree days, because heat kills batteries faster than cold does; it just does it in the lot instead of the driveway. That one is a jump and a load test, and a tow only if the test fails.

Fall wet leaves, deer season and the first frost on the hill roads

October through December is deer season in Somerset, Morris and the western edge of Union County. A deer strike on I-78 near Watchung, Route 22 at the Somerset line or the reservation roads through Mountainside usually ends the drive; a pushed-in radiator, a broken headlight and a hood that will not latch mean an accident tow rather than a roadside fix, and the dispatcher will tell you to call the police for the report your insurer wants. Wet leaves on the shaded roads through Summit, Millburn and the Watchung hills put cars into curbs and shallow ditches, and that is a winch out with a tire change if the curb took the sidewall. The first frost also finds every weak battery that survived the summer.

Holiday weekends, the shore run and cars that sat for a week

Thanksgiving week and the days around Christmas bring cars that sat in an airport lot or a driveway for a week and will not start, and travelers who ran the tank down on the Turnpike trying to reach a cheaper station and meet our fuel at the exit once the Authority's garage has brought them off. Memorial Day and Labor Day move the calls south to Route 9 and Route 35 through Sayreville and the Bayshore, where a car packed for the shore has a flat and the spare is under a week of luggage. Prices do not change for a holiday; the flat rate quoted on the Fourth of July is the same structure as a Tuesday in March. Fleet and small-business accounts get the same rule, with a direct line so a delivery van that will not start at 6 a.m. does not wait behind the morning driveway calls; the contact page explains how an account is set up.

Whatever the month, the dispatcher knows what is breaking this week and which tech carries the fix. Call and describe the symptom.

Call for roadside help Jump start service

Which service

How to tell which roadside service you need from the symptom before you call, and when the honest answer is a tow

Match the symptom to the service: a click or a slow crank is a jump start, a car that cranks fine but will not catch after the gauge read low is fuel, a thump or a pull to one side is a tire, keys visible inside is a lockout, and steam, a red temperature light, a puddle or a grinding noise means stop and call for a tow, not a fix.

You do not need to diagnose the car. You need to describe it, and the dispatcher does the rest. But drivers who know roughly what they are asking for get a quote faster and a tech with the right kit on the first trip. This is the short version of what the dispatcher is listening for when you call (908) 444-0129 from a driveway in Elizabeth, a station lot in Metuchen or the shoulder of I-287. New drivers and older drivers who are not sure can hand the phone to whoever is with them, or have a family member call from home with the location; the dispatcher only needs the town, the landmark and the symptom.

It will not start: one click, a slow crank, nothing at all, or it cranks but will not catch

One loud click and dashboard lights that dim when you turn the key is a battery or a connection; that is a jump start, and the load test afterward tells you which. A slow, laboring crank is the same call. Total silence with no dash lights is often a dead battery on a car that also lost its power locks, which is why some of these calls start as lockouts. A strong crank that never catches is not the battery; if the gauge was near empty or you were coasting on fumes toward a Turnpike service area, it is fuel delivery. If the tank is full and it cranks without catching, that is a fuel pump, an ignition problem or a security lockout, none of which a roadside tech fixes on the shoulder, and the dispatcher quotes the tow rather than sending a jump you do not need.

Something is wrong with a wheel: a thump, a pull, the pressure light, or a flat you can see

A rhythmic thump that speeds up with the car, a hard pull to one side, or the pressure light with a tire that looks low is a flat tire change if you have a spare and a tow to a tire shop if you do not. Tell the dispatcher whether the spare is full-size or a donut, because a donut has a speed limit that matters on the Parkway. A wheel that wobbles or grinds after a curb or a pothole may be a bent rim or a damaged hub, and driving on it turns a tire bill into a suspension bill. Two flats on the same side, a sidewall you can see daylight through, or a run-flat tire with no spare in the car are all tows, and the flatbed is quoted on the same call.

You are locked out, or the car will not let you in

Keys visible on the seat or in the ignition is a car lockout and takes minutes. Keys lost is a lockout followed by a locksmith or a tow to the dealer, and the tech tells you which is cheaper. A push-button car that will not respond to the fob is usually a dead fob battery, and there is a mechanical key hidden in the fob for exactly that. A car whose doors will not respond and whose interior lights are dark is a dead 12-volt battery, not a lockout; the tech opens the door and then jumps it. A child or a pet inside on a hot or cold day is a 911 call first and us second.

Stop driving and call for a tow: steam, a red light, a puddle, or a noise that gets louder

Steam from under the hood or a temperature needle in the red means the engine is overheating and every mile from here costs real money; pull off, shut it down and let it cool while you call. A red oil light is the same rule. A grinding, knocking or scraping noise that grows with speed, a burning smell that is not brakes, or a puddle of anything other than clear water under the car are all reasons to tow rather than test. The dispatcher sends the flatbed or a wheel-lift from the same call and quotes hook plus mileage to the shop you name, and the emergency towing page explains how that call goes on the Turnpike and the Parkway. There is no fee for the roadside visit that did not happen.

Not sure which one it is? Describe the symptom in one sentence. The dispatcher picks the service and quotes it.

Call and describe it All services

Related services

When roadside is not enough: the towing services the same dispatcher sends from the same call

If the battery is finished, there is no spare, the diesel will not prime or the car is damaged, the same dispatcher sends a flatbed, a wheel-lift or a heavy wrecker, and you do not pay a second callout.

Roadside for motorcycles

Bike batteries, tubeless plugs, thrown chains and fuel. The motorcycle towing page covers the roadside side for riders and the flatbed with the chock when it is more than roadside.

Roadside for fleets

Heavy-duty jump starts, tire changes with the unit's spare, air leaks and diesel priming, with a direct line for account customers. The heavy duty towing page explains accounts.

One number. Describe what happened and the right tech or the right truck is sent.

Call (908) 444-0129 All services

Roadside facts

Roadside assistance in New Jersey at a glance: services, coverage, hours, price structure and what to have ready

Roadside assistance from The NJ Towing Service is a technician dispatched from Linden 24/7 to 163 towns in nine counties for a jump start, a tire change, a lockout, fuel delivery or a winch-out, each at one flat price quoted on the call, with no membership and the tow from the same call only if the car still will not drive.

Service	Roadside assistance without a membership: jump start, flat tire change with your spare, damage-free lockout, gas or diesel delivery and winch-out, each one flat price; a flatbed, wheel-lift or heavy wrecker is dispatched from the same call if the fix does not hold
On the truck	Lithium jump packs rated for diesels with a low-current setting for motorcycles, a battery load tester, a low-profile floor jack, breaker bar and torque wrench, a plug kit and compressor, inflatable wedges and long-reach tools, regular and diesel fuel, a tow strap and soft shackles, cones, an amber light bar and a vest
Vehicles handled	Cars, SUVs and pickups, hybrids and EVs at the 12-volt battery, diesels and dual-battery trucks, motorcycles, rental and car-share cars, delivery vans, contractor trucks and small fleets
What to have ready	The town and nearest landmark, exit or mile marker (or the deck level and pillar), the symptom (a click, a crank with no catch, a thump, keys visible inside), make and model, and a phone number for whoever is with the car; a family member can call and pay for someone else
Which service	A click or slow crank is a jump start; cranks fine but will not catch after the gauge read low is fuel; a thump or a pull to one side is a tire; keys visible inside is a lockout; steam, a red temperature light, a puddle or a grinding noise means stop and call for a tow
Coverage	163 towns in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, every one within about 45 minutes of Linden dispatch; station lots at Linden, Rahway, Elizabeth, Cranford, Westfield and Metuchen, mall lots, parking decks, driveways and the shoulders of Routes 1 & 9, Route 22 and I-78; Turnpike and Parkway shoulders are served by the Authority's authorized garages; book with us and we take the car from the exit or the garage's lot
Response	Usually well under 30 minutes in Union County and the neighboring parts of Middlesex and Essex; 35 to 45 minutes toward the edge of the map, longer at rush hour or in a storm; a real window is quoted on the call
Pricing	One flat price per service, quoted before dispatch, with fuel added at cost; no night, weekend, holiday or fuel surcharges; no membership and no fee to call and ask; no second callout fee if the job becomes a tow, which is quoted on scene as hook plus mileage
Payment	Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash on site; fleets and small businesses get a direct line and one monthly invoice; itemized receipt by text or email, which most memberships and insurers accept for out-of-network reimbursement
Hours	24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every holiday
Phone	Tap to call

Everything about roadside assistance fits in one table. Getting the technician moving takes one call and no membership card.

Call now Service area

Roadside Assistance by town

Roadside Assistance in every town we serve: 163 roadside assistance pages across 9 New Jersey counties

Roadside Assistance is dispatched from Linden to 163 towns; each town below has its own roadside assistance page with the roads, the lots, the neighborhoods and the price structure for that town.

Pick your town for the local roadside assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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.

Roadside Assistance 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

Roadside FAQ

Questions drivers ask before calling for roadside assistance in New Jersey

The answers below cover price, membership, wait time, hybrids and diesels, cars with no spare, lockouts with a child inside, and what happens if the tech cannot fix it; dispatch answers anything else live.

How much does roadside assistance cost in New Jersey?

Each roadside service has one flat price: a jump start, a tire change, a lockout, a winch-out, and fuel delivery plus the fuel at cost. The dispatcher quotes it before the technician leaves Linden, and it does not change with the hour, the day, the weather or the town, so a lockout at 3 a.m. on a holiday costs what it costs at noon. No night, weekend, holiday or fuel surcharge, no membership, no fee to call and ask. The bill changes only when the fix cannot work, such as a finished battery or no spare; then the tow is quoted on scene as hook plus mileage and you pay the tow, not both. Call (908) 444-0129 and describe the symptom.

Do I need a membership or AAA?

No. You call, the tech comes, you pay for the service by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash. Most memberships and many insurance policies reimburse an out-of-network call, and the itemized receipt is what they ask for.

How long will I wait?

Inside Union County and the neighboring towns, typically under 30 minutes. At the edge of the 45-minute area, 35 to 45 minutes. The dispatcher gives you a real window based on where the nearest tech is.

Can you jump start a hybrid or a diesel?

Yes. Hybrids have a 12-volt auxiliary battery that is jumped normally. The packs are rated for full-size diesels and dual-battery trucks. The battery is load-tested afterward.

What if I have no spare tire?

The tow to the tire shop you choose is quoted on the same call. About a third of flat-tire calls end this way, and you do not pay a second callout.

My child is locked in the car. What do I do?

Call 911 first and us second. The officer can break a window if the child is in distress; the tech opens the door without damage if he arrives first. Call both.

Can you make me a new key?

No. We open the door and can tow you to a dealer or automotive locksmith if the key is lost, but we do not cut or program keys.

What if the tech cannot fix it on the roadside?

The flatbed is dispatched from the same call and the tow is quoted on scene as hook plus mileage. You do not pay a second dispatch fee.

Do you come to parking decks?

Yes. A technician fits in any deck. If the car needs a tow afterward, it is dollied to the entrance and loaded outside; tell the dispatcher the garage name and level.

Do you take cards?

Yes, all major cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay on site, as well as cash. Fleet accounts get a monthly invoice.

Is there an extra charge at night or on holidays?

No. Roadside prices are the same flat structure at any hour, any day.

Do you deliver premium fuel?

We carry regular unleaded and diesel. A few gallons of regular will not harm a car that normally takes premium.

Do you offer roadside assistance for fleets and small businesses?

Yes. Landscapers, contractors, delivery vans, car-share cars and small trucking companies set up an account through the contact page and get a direct line and one monthly invoice instead of a card at the curb. The services are the same: jump starts on dual-battery vans and diesels, tire changes with the unit's spare, lockouts on cabs and cargo doors, fuel and winch-outs. A driver who is not the owner does not need to prove anything on scene; the account does that. If a unit cannot be fixed roadside, the tow to your yard or your shop is quoted on the same call at the account rate.

Can a family member call for an older driver or a new driver who does not know what is wrong?

Yes, and it happens every day. A son in Edison calls for his mother stuck in a Westfield driveway, or a parent calls for a teenager on the shoulder of Route 22 who is not sure whether the car is out of gas or the battery died. The dispatcher needs the town, the nearest landmark or exit, the make and color of the car and a phone number for whoever is with it. The technician calls that number when he is minutes out. The person who called can pay over the phone, and the receipt goes to whichever email you choose.

What does the roadside technician actually carry on the truck?

Lithium jump packs rated for full-size diesels and a low-current setting for motorcycles, a battery load tester, a low-profile floor jack, a breaker bar and torque wrench, a plug kit and portable compressor for tubeless tires, inflatable lockout wedges and long-reach tools, five gallons each of regular and diesel, a tow strap and soft shackles for a winch-out, cones, an amber light bar and a reflective vest. What he does not carry is a cooling system, a fuel pump or a key-cutting machine, which is why some calls are honestly quoted as a tow.

Can you tow me off the New Jersey Turnpike or the Garden State Parkway?

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority allows only its authorized garages to tow or work on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, and we are not one of them yet. Call us anyway. The dispatcher tells you how to reach the Authority's roadside help, and you book the rest of the job with us: the moment the authorized truck has the car off the highway, at the nearest exit or in the garage's lot, our truck takes over and moves it to the shop, the dealer or the driveway you choose, at our normal flat quoted price.

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

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact

24/7 roadside assistance in New Jersey without a membership, dispatched from Linden to every town within 45 minutes