Breakdowns are only made worse when you can’t find a towing service when you need it. You’re already stuck in an unsafe location, you don’t have the means to remove yourself from the danger, and, on top of everything, you still have questions about how much repairs will cost and how long they will take.
The quicker you can find a reputable, timely towing service the better for you and your travel companions. But, depending on your current location, finding an optimal towing service might be more difficult than you think. What steps do you take to ensure you can find a reputable provider near you and they have the equipment necessary for your specific situation? Even more important, are they available 24/7?
General
Regardless of your situation or what vehicle you’re driving, there are some common practices that should keep you in the safe zone when it comes to finding a reputable towing service. Proximity, professionalism, reputation, and capability are the four criteria your choice should be based upon.
What’s nearby?
Time is of the essence when it comes to towing services. The longer you and your vehicle are on the side of the road, the longer you’re in danger. Your first order of business is to find a safe location with cell service and research a short list of towing services within close proximity of your location.
Evaluating towing companies
You can learn a lot about a towing company based on the information they provide online and the information they do (or don't) provide over the phone. Below are a few ways to quickly evaluate towing companies based on the limited information you have:
- Professionalism - Expect the shop to be respectful and professional when speaking to you over the phone. They should provide a clear expectation of the process, a potential quote on price, and adequate requests for your information (location, safety, vehicle, etc.)
- Certification - Check their website for a list of credentials, which may be present in the body of the text in the “About” section of their website. Are they licensed and insured?
- Timeline - Did the towing service provide a specific expectation of timeline? This is especially important if you are far from help and are on the side of the road. Without an estimate, you don’t know how to fully evaluate your situation.
- Availability - The purpose of a towing company is to provide service in emergency situations. If the company you’ve found doesn’t offer 24/7 service, there’s a good chance they aren’t your best option, regardless of the time of day you call.
Evaluate online reviews
The quickest way to evaluate a towing service provider is by online reviews. But can you trust all reviews you find online? Reviews aren’t always what they seem. Rather than simply evaluate the company based on reviews, evaluate the reviews themselves with the following criteria:
- Be wary of polarized reviews that are totally bad or totally good.
- The more reviews, the better. You can’t learn much from 1-2 reviews.
- Bad reviews based on price aren’t valuable. The tow service should provide an estimate.
- Do multiple reviewers note the same problem? You can likely trust this information.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance
What if you could have the peace of mind of connecting with a vetted towing service near you without needing to evaluate every option around? That’s what you get with a Roadside Assistance plan from Good Sam. They provide plans for any vehicle on the road, including autos, trucks, motorcycles, sports trailers, travel trailers, motorhomes, and more. Take the guesswork out of finding the right towing service, and see what Roadside Assistance plan might best fit your needs.
Towing service for RVs
Traveling with an RV presents its own challenges, and it requires a little more forethought than your standard vehicle road trip. You have to do your homework, from finding an RV-safe route to navigating weight restrictions. And that applies to breakdowns, too. In the unfortunate event you need to be towed, the process is more involved than finding the nearest towing service with a typical wrecker.
Information to know about your RV
How do you know what you need and whether a towing service can actually provide the services you require? That last thing you need is to wait for a towing service only to find they don’t own the proper equipment to complete the job. So first, make sure you have this information about your RV any time you are traveling, ready to provide a towing service.
- Information about your RV, including its make, model, and year. Towing services should ask for this information, and it’s a bad sign when they don’t.
- Know specifics about your RV, like its Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which will help assist the towing provider.
- Length and height of your RV. Some tow truck types have size restrictions.
- Know the manufacturer of your chassis. If there is an engine issue, this could help determine where the RV could be towed to.
What kind of service do you need?
Did you know there are over five different types of towing trucks with towing capacities ranging from light-duty to heavy-duty, each designed with a different application? That’s because towing isn’t a one-size-fits-all operation. The towing company should have a wide assortment of towing vehicles designed to handle an RV. Choices include hook and chain trucks, wheel lifts, integrated trucks, flatbeds, and rotators.
Provide as much information about your situation to the towing service as possible. For example:
- Are you traveling in a vehicle with a towable, or in a motorhome?
- What is the weight of the vehicle and trailer combined?
- Can the towable be easily disconnected?
- Are there any constraints regarding the current location of the vehicle (guardrails, ditches, other vehicles, obstructions)?
- Are winch services likely required?
Note: if the towing service you’re working with doesn’t want this information, they likely aren’t the right company to assist you.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance plans based on your rig
Your odds of getting the right towing care go up based on your knowledge of how to evaluate a towing provider. But that still leaves some gray area when it comes to getting the right towing assistance when you’re stuck in a bad situation. But there doesn’t have to be any gray area. Instead, Good Sam’s Roadside Assistance works with vetted towing providers all across the country to ensure our members receive the best towing service available.
With a service like Good Sam’s Roadside Assistance, you choose from plans based on the coverage you need, including travel trailers, fifth wheels, motorhomes, and more. No distance is too far, and Good Sam has access to over 30,000 towing specialists and service providers who will know how to provide the right equipment for the job. Learn more about Roadside Assistance and the plans available today to see what might be best for your rig.