24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Tow Truck Help in Abbotsford, BC
Stuck in Abbotsford? Call 1-888-TOW-1213. We lock your price by text, send the nearest available partner tow company and check on you until help arrives.
If anyone is hurt or you're stopped in a live lane, call 911 first.
- Check-ins until help arrives
- Driver card and truck tracking
- Price locked by text
- Photo-protected tow
How it works in Abbotsford. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Abbotsford area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Abbotsford? Find a tow truck near you.
Abbotsford tow truck help
Towing in Abbotsford, From Highway 1 to the Border
Three main roads lead into Abbotsford: the Trans-Canada (Highway 1), the Abbotsford-Mission Highway (Highway 11) and the Fraser Highway (1A). When you phone, give us the nearest interchange or cross street and the direction you were heading.
Highway 1 through town
Coming from Langley, the Trans-Canada narrows to two lanes each way as it enters Abbotsford. Through the city, rebuilt interchanges include Mount Lehman Road and the Fraser Highway, Clearbrook Road and McCallum Road. The stretch from Surrey to Highway 11 is designated the Highway of Heroes.
- With only two lanes each way, a car on the shoulder is close to fast traffic. Stay in your seat with your belt on until the truck arrives.
- If you can still roll, take the next exit rather than stopping between ramps.
- A car that won't restart needs a tow. Ask for the shop you want. You get the price by text first.
Highway 11 and Sumas Way
Locals call Highway 11 Sumas Way and the Abbotsford-Mission Highway. It's a 17 km expressway with at-grade intersections. North, it crosses the Fraser River on the Mission Bridge. South, it begins at the Huntingdon border crossing, where it meets Washington State Route 9. If you stall in the border lineup, stay with the car and call. Tell us which side of the line you're on.
The airport
Abbotsford International Airport sits about 4 km southwest of the city center, close to Highway 1. A car that won't start after a trip often has a dead battery, so ask for a jump start before you pay for a tow.
Fraser Valley weather
Rain Is the Real Weather Here
Abbotsford winters are mild and wet. Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for the Abbotsford airport show about 1,538 mm of rain and snow a year, with 25 mm or more of rain falling on about 11 days. Even in January, the average low stays just above freezing.
- Standing water. After heavy rain, water can pool on low roads. Don't drive through water if you can't see the road. If you stall in it and the water is rising or moving, get out and move to higher ground if you can do it safely. Call 911 if you're trapped, and call us for the tow once the water drops.
- Fog. The airport records fog on about 27 days a year. Low beams, slow down, and pull well off if you break down.
- The odd big snow. Snow averages about 55 cm a year here, but when it comes it can be heavy. If you slide off on a hill in Eagle Mountain or McKinley Heights, a winch-out may be all you need.
- Heading east. B.C. doesn't require winter tires in many Lower Mainland areas. Once you head out of the Lower Mainland, the province says they're required on most highways.
The Sumas Prairie floods
The Sumas Prairie was once Sumas Lake, drained in the 1920s. On November 16, 2021, the Sumas and Nooksack rivers overflowed and refilled it. About 1,100 homes in Abbotsford were evacuated, and Highway 1 flooded. If water is rising, don't wait for a tow. Get yourself to higher ground, then call.
If a Tow Company Took Your Car
Sentinel handles tows you ask for. But if you come back to an empty parking spot, Consumer Protection BC suggests a few steps:
- Find out who called for the tow. It could be the city, a property owner, a strata, a parking operator, police or the province.
- Ask for a clear breakdown of the fees, and keep every receipt.
- Know that the rules can differ for a city street, private property, a strata complex and a commercial lot.
- Look at the posted signs. They often explain why the car was moved.
Read the full list on the Consumer Protection BC site.
On the roadside, the rule runs the other way. B.C. requires drivers to slow to 70 km/h in zones of 80 km/h or more, or 40 km/h in slower zones, when passing a stopped tow truck with flashing lights, and to change lanes where it's safe. The province explains it here.
Areas We Cover Around Abbotsford
- Downtown and Mill Lake
- Clearbrook and Townline
- Matsqui and Mount Lehman
- Aberdeen and Bradner
- Auguston and Eagle Mountain
- McKinley Heights and Glen Mountain
- Clayburn and Sandy Hill
- Huntingdon and Sumas, near the border
- The Sumas Prairie
- Mission, across the Fraser
Abbotsford Towing Questions
I broke down on Highway 1 near Whatcom Road. Where should I wait?
In your car, belt on, hazards flashing, as far right as you can get. If you can't get out of a live lane, keep your belt on and hazards flashing, and call 911 first. Get out only for smoke or fire, and only if you can reach a spot well away from traffic.
Can you tow my car to a shop in Mission?
Yes. Tell us the shop. We text you a locked price for the tow, including the trip over the Mission Bridge, before anyone is sent. If the bill is higher, you pay the texted price.
Will I know who's coming before the truck gets here?
Yes. We text you the driver's name, photo and truck, and you can track your truck on a map. We also check on you by text until it arrives. It's all part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
Roadside help in Abbotsford, BC
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Abbotsford
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Abbotsford drivers. Tell us what happened, and we send a vetted local towing company near you with a truck suited to the job: a tow truck for a car that can't be driven (a flatbed where the vehicle needs one, like many all-wheel-drive cars), or a service truck for a jump start, lockout, flat tire, fuel delivery or winch-out.
Car towing
Cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups. Price locked by text, photos before hookup.
Car towing
Jump starts
Clicks, dim dash lights or nothing at all? A dead battery jump, day or night.
Jump starts
Car lockouts
Keys locked inside, on the seat or in the trunk. A partner works to get you back in without damage.
Car lockouts
Flat tire changes
Got a spare but no safe way to put it on? A partner swaps it for you.
Flat tire changes
Fuel delivery
Ran out of gas? Enough fuel to get you to the nearest station.
Fuel delivery
Winch-outs
Stuck in snow, mud or a shallow ditch near the road? A partner can usually pull you out.
Winch-outsThe Sentinel Stay-With-You Promise
Seven Promises on Every Abbotsford Call
Read the fine print on the promise page.
We stay with you. From your call until the truck arrives, we check on you by text.
See your driver before they arrive. You get their name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map.
Your family knows too. Give us one number, and we text them your location and arrival time.
Photo-protected tow. Before hookup, your driver photographs all 4 sides of your vehicle. We text you the photos.
Price locked by text. You get your price by text before we dispatch. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first and you decide.
Never stranded after. Ride along in the truck when it's safe and allowed, or we help you get a ride. We also point you to a good repair shop.
Free Sentinel Circle. After your first job, your vehicle is on file. Next time, just text "TOW" for priority dispatch.
How it works
From Your Call to Your Driver
- 01You call
Our 24/7 line answers
Call 1-888-TOW-1213. Tell us where you are, what you drive and what went wrong.
- 02We lock it in
Your price, by text
We text your price before anyone is sent. That's the most you'll pay for the job you described.
- 03A partner accepts
The nearest truck takes it
The nearest available partner tow company accepts your job. They're vetted for insurance and licensing.
- 04You see who's coming
Driver card and tracking
You get your driver's name, photo and truck, plus a link to track your truck. We check in until they arrive.
Nearby cities
Abbotsford roadside guides
Abbotsford, BC
Stuck in Abbotsford? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.