24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Stockton, CA, From I-5 to Highway 99
Stuck in Stockton? 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 Stockton. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Stockton area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Stockton? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck in Stockton
Stockton Sits Where California's Big Highways Meet
Two of the state's main north-south routes run right through Stockton: I-5 and Highway 99. Linking them is Highway 4. It joins I-5 for a short stretch, then becomes the Crosstown Freeway, cutting almost straight through downtown before it meets 99 and heads east toward the Sierra.
Add Highway 26 and Highway 88, which both start in Stockton and head east, and you get a lot of traffic crossing a lot of lanes. Breakdowns here tend to land in one of three places:
- On a freeway shoulder. I-5 and 99 are California's main north-south routes, and traffic doesn't let up. Stay in the car with your belt on and give us the nearest exit.
- On the Crosstown. It runs almost straight through downtown. Tell us the last exit you passed and your direction.
- Near the port. The Port of Stockton and Rough and Ready Island are working areas full of warehouses and rail lines. Pull as far over as you can and watch for big rigs.
Wherever it is, you call and we text a locked price first. Then the nearest available partner comes out with the right help: a jump, a tow to your shop or home, or a hand getting you back on the road.
Delta weather
Hot Afternoons, Foggy Mornings
Stockton sits among the waterways of the California Delta. Summers run hot and dry. Winters are cool and wet, and tule fog settles over the area on some winter mornings.
Heat is the bigger threat to your car most of the year. It drains weak batteries and pushes tired cooling systems past their limit. Fog is the bigger threat to you. A stalled car in fog is hard to see until a driver is right on top of it.
A few habits help. In summer, keep water in the car and park in shade when you can. Check tire pressure in the cool of the morning, since hot pavement is hard on tires that are already low.
On a foggy morning, keep your low beams on, leave extra room and check Caltrans QuickMap for closures before you leave.
Waiting safely
Stopped on I-5 or 99? Make Yourself Easy to Pass
The first minute after you stop matters most. Get as far right as the shoulder allows. Turn the wheels away from traffic. Switch on your hazards. Then call from inside the car.
If you have flares or a reflective triangle and you can place them without walking into a lane, set them well behind the car. If you can't, skip it. Your safety beats the triangle.
What California law asks of other drivers
Vehicle Code 21809 tells drivers to change out of the lane next to a stopped vehicle showing hazard lights, cones or flares, when it's safe and allowed. If they can't, they must slow to a safe speed.
Your hazards and flares aren't just a warning. They bring that law into play.
Areas we cover around Stockton
Stockton and the Towns Around It
- Central StocktonDowntown, the Miracle Mile, the University of the Pacific area and the Venetian Bridges neighborhood.
- City neighborhoodsSpanos Park, Weston Ranch and the streets around the port.
- Just outside the cityLincoln Village, Country Club, Morada, Garden Acres and French Camp.
- Nearby citiesLodi, Lathrop, Manteca and Tracy.
Stockton questions
Questions We Hear From Stockton
My car died on the Crosstown Freeway. What should I tell you?
Your direction, the last exit you passed and whether you're on the shoulder or in a lane. If you're in a lane and the car won't move, call 911 first, then us.
Can you tow my car from Lodi or Tracy back to Stockton?
Often, yes. Both are nearby. Tell us where the car is and where it should go, and we'll text a price for that trip before a partner heads out.
My battery died in a University of the Pacific lot. Do you come onto campus?
Yes, if the partner can reach the car. Tell us which lot and which row, and whether a gate or a permit booth is in the way. A dead battery is usually a quick jump. If it won't hold a charge, we text you a tow price to a shop or home.
Can I ride along to the shop?
When it's safe and the partner allows it, yes. If not, we help you find a ride. Not being left on the curb is one of the seven parts of our Stay-With-You Promise.
How do I know the driver is really from Sentinel?
We text you their name, photo and truck before they arrive. You can also watch the truck on a map. If the truck that pulls up doesn't match, don't hand over your keys. Call us.
Roadside help in Stockton, CA
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Stockton
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Stockton 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 Stockton 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
Stockton roadside guides
Stockton, CA
Stuck in Stockton? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.