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Accident Towing in Stockton, CA

After a crash, the first job is people. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or if vehicles are blocking traffic. Once everyone is safe and the police or CHP have what they need, the car still has to go somewhere. That is where we come in.

Our dispatchers send licensed tow operators to collision scenes across Stockton, Lodi, Manteca and Tracy. They cover everything from a fender-bender in the Weberstown Mall lot to a car that ended up in the gravel off Highway 12. You get a quote before the truck rolls, and you choose where the car goes: your body shop, your insurer's preferred shop, or home.

Call (209) 850-ROAD

Diagram of a collision scene on a two-lane Stockton road with a damaged car, a patrol car with flashing lights, and a flatbed backing in to load

Your choice of destinationYou pick the shop. You are not required to send the car to whoever the truck driver suggests.
Damaged vehiclesFlatbeds and dollies for cars that will not roll, steer or sit level after impact.
Debris cleanupOperators sweep glass and pick up loose parts from the roadway as part of the job.

Police rotation tows versus calling your own

When the CHP or Stockton Police handle a crash and the driver cannot arrange a tow, or the car is blocking a lane, the officer usually calls the next truck on their rotation list. That tow is not your choice, and the vehicle may go to that company's storage yard, where daily storage fees start adding up.

If you are able to make arrangements and the officer agrees there is time, you can usually request your own tow. Call us, give the dispatcher your location and tell the officer a truck is on the way. If the officer has already called rotation, that truck takes the car. You can still have it moved later from the yard to your shop, and we can help with that.

Where the valley sees the most collisions

Tule fog is the big one. Between late fall and February, dense ground fog settles over I-5 between Lodi and Tracy and over Highway 99 through Stockton and Manteca. It has caused multi-vehicle pileups on both. If you are caught in a fog collision, stay buckled in your car unless it is on fire or in a travel lane, because the next car may not see you either.

Year-round, the merges on the Crosstown Freeway, the 99 and 120 interchange in Manteca, and the Highway 12 corridor west of Lodi produce a steady stream of calls. Harvest season brings slow farm equipment and double-trailer tomato trucks onto the same roads as commuters, and the speed difference causes rear-end crashes.

Insurance, storage and paperwork

Most auto policies with collision coverage reimburse a reasonable tow to a repair facility. Keep your receipt, and give your insurer the tow operator's details. If your car went to a rotation yard, move it quickly. Storage is billed by the day, and insurers do not always cover all of it if you wait. Before a car leaves a police tow yard, you generally need proof of ownership, your ID and, in some cases, a release from the agency.

Why call us

What you get

A person answers

A live dispatcher picks up 24/7.There is no phone tree and no voicemail box.

Quote first

You hear the full quote on the call.If it does not work for you, say no and nothing is owed.

An honest ETA

You get a real arrival estimate based on where the nearest operator is, not a guess to keep you on the line.

Licensed operators

Work is done by licensed independent tow operators who drive these roads every day.

Questions about accident towing

Who pays for the tow after an accident?

If the other driver is at fault, their insurer usually ends up covering it, but you may need to pay up front and be reimbursed. If you have collision coverage, your own policy normally covers a tow to a repair shop. Keep every receipt.

Can I choose where my car is towed after a crash?

Yes, as long as you are able to arrange it and the officer on scene has not already called a rotation tow. You can send it to any shop you like or to your home.

My car was towed from an accident scene and I do not know where it is. What do I do?

Call the agency that handled the crash: CHP for freeways and county roads, Stockton Police or the local city police for city streets. They will tell you which yard has the car and what you need to release it.

Can you move my car from a tow yard to my body shop?

Yes. Once the yard has released it to you, we can dispatch a truck to move it to your shop. Do it soon, since storage is charged daily.

What should I do at the scene while I wait?

Get to a safe spot away from traffic and exchange information with the other driver. Take photos of the vehicles, the plates and the road. Leave the airbags and any fluids alone. If you smell fuel, move well away from the car.

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