When your car dies, the call to a tow company is the easy part. What happens in the minutes before the truck shows up can decide how fast and how cleanly the tow goes.
We asked Yana Reidhead, owner of Arizona Boyz Towing & Transport, a family-owned towing company working Mesa, Phoenix and the East Valley, three questions about what she sees from the other side of the call. Her answers are below, lightly edited for length.
The most common mistake: where the car ends up
When someone calls you broken down on the side of the road, what do you most often see them get wrong?
Yana Reidhead, owner of Arizona Boyz Towing & Transport, said: "The customer has pulled too close to a sign or they straddle the curb and it's difficult for our truck to get in front of their vehicle to load properly and to line the bed of our truck up to the car correctly."
A flatbed has to back up square to your car to load it. If the car is nosed up against a sign post or sitting half on a curb, the driver has less room to line up, and the job takes longer. If your car can still roll safely and you have a choice, leave clear space in front of it, on a flat surface, rather than tucking it into a tight spot.
What to do while you wait
What do you wish people would do while they wait for your truck to arrive?
Reidhead said: "If the customer is in a parking lot they should lift the hood of the car so they are easy to find. If they want to leave the vehicle they should leave their keys with the vehicle."
Two things, both simple. In a busy lot, a raised hood tells the tow driver which car is yours without a phone call. And if you aren't going to stay with the car, the keys need to be with it. Ask the tow company where they want them left when you call.
Why hooking up a car is a skill
What does it take to do heavy-duty recovery well that most people never see?
Reidhead said: "It takes time and professional experience with the right equipment to know how/where to hook to prevent additional damage."
Where the straps or hooks go, and on what equipment, is the difference between a tow that leaves your car as it was and one that adds damage. It's a good reason to describe your vehicle clearly on the phone, including if it's lowered, all-wheel drive, or a heavy truck, so the right truck is sent.
The short version
- Leave room in front of the car and avoid curbs and sign posts if you can.
- In a parking lot, lift the hood so the driver can find you.
- Not staying with the car? Leave the keys with it.
- Tell the tow company exactly what you're driving so they send the right equipment.
If you're worried about the bill, our guide to how much a tow company can legally charge covers the state and city caps. And if your car was towed from a parking lot without you calling anyone, see what a legal parking-lot tow needs.
Thanks to Yana Reidhead of Arizona Boyz Towing & Transport for her answers.
