The checklist
- Where you are. A street address, or the nearest cross streets. On a freeway: the road, the direction, and the last exit or a mile marker, like "I-94 westbound past the 68th Street exit."
- The vehicle. Year, make, model and color. Say if it's all-wheel drive, electric, lowered or modified, a motorcycle, or a large pickup or van.
- What happened. Won't start, flat tire, out of gas, locked out, accident, stuck in snow or a ditch. You don't need to know what's wrong mechanically.
- Whether it rolls. Can the wheels turn? Can it go into neutral? Is there wheel or suspension damage?
- Where it's going. Your home, a shop, a dealer, a body shop. Give the address if you have it.
- Anything unusual. A parking garage (and its posted height limit), a tight alley, a steep driveway, soft ground, or the car blocked in.
- Keys. Do you have them? Are they locked inside?
- Your phone number in case the call drops.
Can't tell where you are?
Open your phone's map app. It shows your location on the road and the nearest exits, and you can text a dropped pin if dispatch asks. Street signs at the nearest corner, a business name, or the last exit sign you passed all help.
Ask for the price
A good dispatcher gives you the price before the truck heads out. Ours is posted: $120 to hook up plus $8 a mile for a tow, and flat prices for jump starts ($65), lockouts ($75) and tire changes ($100), plus $3 a mile for the drive to you. Check yours with the towing cost calculator.
While you wait
Hazards on, and on a freeway stay buckled in the car unless it's unsafe. Keep your phone charged so dispatch can reach you. More in what to do after a freeway breakdown.
Can I ride along?
Ask dispatch when you call. It depends on the job and the truck that's coming. If you can't ride, plan how you'll get to the destination.
Ready? Call PS Towing & Recovery at (414) 254-1468, 24/7.