24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Fort Wayne, IN, Day or Night
Stuck in Fort Wayne? 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 Fort Wayne. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Fort Wayne area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Fort Wayne? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck help in Fort Wayne
Towing in Fort Wayne Happens on City Streets
Most cities this size have an urban freeway system. Fort Wayne doesn't. Voters turned down a downtown freeway back in 1947, and I-69 was built out on the edge instead. So when a car breaks down here, it's usually on a surface street with lights, curbs and driveways.
That changes what you need. In town, a dead battery, a flat or keys locked in the car don't need a tow. A jump start or a tire change gets you moving where you are.
When it does need a tow, tell us where you want it to go. A vetted local partner takes the job, and your price is locked by text before they're sent.
Which quadrant are you in?
Fort Wayne is split into four informal quadrants. Knowing yours helps the driver find you:
- Calhoun Street divides southwest from southeast.
- The St. Joseph River divides northwest from northeast.
- The Maumee River splits northeast from southeast.
- The St. Marys River and the rail line split northwest from southwest.
The highways around town
I-69, the I-469 Beltway and the Routes Between
I-69
The city's only Interstate was built out in the suburbs, not downtown. Stuck on the shoulder? Hazards on, belt on, and stay in the car. Call 911 first if you're in a live lane.
I-469
The beltway loops around the south and east edges of Fort Wayne and New Haven. It's a long loop, so give us the last exit number you passed.
Airport Expressway
This four-lane road links Fort Wayne International to I-69. A car left in airport parking through a cold week often needs nothing more than a jump.
US 24, 27, 30 and 33
All four U.S. routes cross the city, along with State Roads 1, 3, 14, 37 and 930. If the fuel light comes on out past town, ask for fuel delivery.
Northeast Indiana weather
Snow Flurries, Hard Freezes and Summer Storms
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Fort Wayne International show about 34 inches of snow a year. Lake-effect snow reaches this far, but it usually shows up as light flurries. January 2014 alone brought 30.3 inches, the snowiest month on record.
Cold is the steadier problem. The airport averages about 124 nights a year at or below freezing, and close to 40 days when the high stays under 32. On those mornings, a weak battery may crank slowly or just click. If you slid into a snowy ditch off US 30 and the car isn't hurt, a winch-out may be all you need.
Summer brings its own risk. The city sees about 39 thunderstorm days a year. In June 2012, a derecho hit with gusts of 91 mph and left 78,000 without power. After a storm like that, watch for branches in the road. Don't drive over downed lines. Call from a safe spot.
Before you head out, check INDOT's Trafficwise map for closures and crashes.
Indiana law
Your Hazard Lights Protect You on I-69
Indiana's move-over law covers more than police cars. It also protects a stopped tow truck with flashing amber lights. It even covers a disabled car with its hazard lights on. That means you, waiting on the shoulder.
Drivers coming up behind you have two choices:
- On a road with two or more lanes their way, move over a lane if it's safe.
- If they can't, slow to at least 10 mph under the posted limit.
So turn those hazards on the moment you stop. Read the law, IC 9-21-8-35, on the Indiana General Assembly site.
While you wait
We check on you by text until the truck arrives. You'll see the driver's name, photo and truck, and you can track your truck on a map. Give us one family number and we'll text them too. It's all part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
Areas We Cover Around Fort Wayne
Call from any of the four quadrants, or from the towns around Allen County:
- Downtown, Oakdale and the Williams-Woodland Park area
- The Forest Park Boulevard area
- New Haven, on the I-469 loop
- Huntertown and Leo-Cedarville
- Grabill and Woodburn
- Roanoke and Ossian
- Churubusco, Waterloo and Auburn
- Monroeville and Hoagland
Questions
Fort Wayne Towing Questions
Do I need a tow, or can you fix it where I am?
Tell us what happened. A dead battery, a flat or locked keys can often be handled on the spot. If it turns out you need a tow after all, we text a new price and you decide.
I broke down on I-469. How do I tell you where I am?
Give the direction you were going and the last exit or mile marker you saw. If you can share your location from your phone on the call, that's even better.
Can you tow me from Fort Wayne to a shop in Auburn or New Haven?
Yes, if a partner can make the trip. Name the shop on the call and your texted price covers it. No surprise add-ons.
Roadside help in Fort Wayne, IN
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Fort Wayne
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne 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
Fort Wayne roadside guides
Fort Wayne, IN
Stuck in Fort Wayne? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.