24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Peoria, IL: Tow Truck Help on Both Banks of the River
Stuck in Peoria? 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 Peoria. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Peoria area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Peoria? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck help in Peoria
Towing in Peoria Starts at the River Crossings
The Peoria area spreads along both banks of the Illinois River, and the main roads cross it on the bridges below. A breakdown on a bridge feels worse than anywhere else. Space is tight and traffic keeps coming. Tell us which bridge you're on and which way you were headed. A vetted local partner who knows the river crossings takes the job.
Murray Baker Bridge, I-74
I-74 cuts through downtown from the northwest to the southeast, then crosses the river here. Illinois 29 joins it for the crossing. If you stall on the span, hazards on and stay buckled. Call 911 if you're stuck in a live lane, then call us for the tow.
McClugage Bridge, US 150
US 150 comes off this bridge and becomes War Memorial Drive, the main road across the north side. East of the river it runs on to Morton. Say whether you're on the bridge or already on War Memorial. It changes where the truck sets up.
Shade-Lohmann Bridge, I-474
I-474 is the southern bypass through Bartonville and Creve Coeur, and US 24 shares the road in the southwest part of the city. It's an interstate, so traffic moves fast. Wait in the car with your belt on, not beside it.
Bob Michel and Cedar Street Bridges
Knoxville Avenue (Illinois 40) leaves town to the southeast over the Bob Michel Bridge. Illinois 8 and 116 cross into East Peoria on the Cedar Street Bridge. These are shorter spans, but a dead battery at the light on either end still blocks a lane. A jump start may be all you need.
North side and the freeways
War Memorial, Knoxville and the Road to Chillicothe
Away from the river, the trouble spots change. Here's what to know on the north side, and which kind of help fits:
- Illinois 6. This four-lane freeway runs from the I-74 and I-474 junction northeast toward Chillicothe. If you run dry out there, ask for fuel delivery instead of a tow.
- Galena Road. North of US 150, Illinois 29 becomes Galena Road and follows the river up toward Chillicothe. Give us the nearest cross street or mile marker if you have it.
- The Shoppes at Grand Prairie. Illinois 91 meets US 150 in the far northwest, near the shops and the road to Dunlap. Keys locked in the car in a big lot? That's a lockout call, not a tow.
- The airport. General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport is west of town. A car that sat in long-term parking through a cold snap often needs a jump.
Headed out of town?
I-155 runs south from I-74 at Morton down to I-55 at Lincoln. That's a long, open stretch. Keep your phone charged and your gas above a quarter tank. If you break down on it, give us the last exit you passed.
Central Illinois weather
Cold Nights, Uneven Snow and Summer Heat
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Peoria airport show about 26 inches of snow a year. That average hides a lot. Some winters bring far more, some far less. Plan for the bad one.
The cold matters more than the snow for most cars. The same station averages about 118 nights a year at or below freezing, and a January low near 18 degrees. On a few nights each winter it drops to zero or below. A tired battery that started fine in October can quit on the first hard morning. If your engine clicks and won't turn over in a frozen driveway in Peoria Heights, a jump usually fixes it. Then have the battery tested.
Summer has its own trouble. Peoria averages about 23 days a year at 90 degrees or hotter. Heat is hard on cooling systems and old batteries too. Watch the temperature gauge in stop-and-go traffic on the bridges.
Before you cross in bad weather, check road conditions on IDOT's Getting Around Illinois map.
Areas We Cover Around Peoria
Call from anywhere in the Peoria area, on either bank. That includes:
- Downtown Peoria, Peoria Heights and West Peoria
- East Peoria, across the Cedar Street and Murray Baker bridges
- Bartonville, Bellevue and Creve Coeur
- Pekin and Marquette Heights
- Morton and Washington
- Germantown Hills and Metamora
- Dunlap and the Grand Prairie area
- Chillicothe, up Illinois 29 and Illinois 6
You'll get a driver card by text, with a name, photo and truck. You can also track your truck on a map as it crosses the river to you. We check in by text until it arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise.
Scott's Law protects your driver
Illinois law makes drivers slow down for a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights on. On a road with two or more lanes your way, they must move to a lane that isn't next to it when it's safe. The rule reaches tow trucks too, because the Vehicle Code lets them run amber lights at a crash or breakdown.
Read it in the Illinois Vehicle Code, 625 ILCS 5/11-907.
Questions
Peoria Towing Questions
Can you tow my car from Peoria to a shop in East Peoria or Pekin?
Yes. Tell us the shop's name or address on the call. Your price covers the trip you describe, and it comes by text before anyone is sent.
My car died on the McClugage Bridge. What do I do first?
Hazards on and stay buckled in. If you're blocking a live lane or anyone is hurt, call 911 first. Then call us. Don't get out to look under the hood on the bridge.
Do you cover the whole I-474 bypass?
Call from anywhere on it, from Bartonville to Creve Coeur. If a partner covers your spot, we lock your price and send them. If none is close enough, we tell you right away so you can call someone else.
My battery died in a frozen lot. Do I need a tow?
Probably not. If it clicks or the dash lights look weak, a jump often gets you going. If it still won't start, we text you a new price for a tow and you decide.
Roadside help in Peoria, IL
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Peoria
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Peoria 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 Peoria 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
Peoria roadside guides
Peoria, IL
Stuck in Peoria? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.