24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Grand Rapids, MI, Lake-Effect Snow and All
Stuck in Grand Rapids? 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 Grand Rapids. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Grand Rapids area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Grand Rapids? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck help in Grand Rapids
Towing in Grand Rapids on 131, 196 and the Beltline
Grand Rapids grew up on the Grand River, and US 131 crosses it right downtown. When your car stops on a freeway here, tell us the road, the direction and the nearest exit. A vetted local partner takes the job, and your price is locked by text before they roll.
The S-Curve on US 131
At Wealthy Street, US 131 cuts hard to the west, crosses the river, then turns right back north on a bridge. That's the S-Curve. The heaviest traffic on the whole route is just north of it. Stalled on the curve? Stay belted in with hazards on. Call 911 first if you're in a live lane, then call us for a tow.
I-196, the Gerald R. Ford Freeway
It runs east and west through the city and joins I-96 just east of town. Give us the nearest exit and which side of the river you're on.
I-96 on the north side
It swings along the north and northeast edges, west toward Muskegon and east toward Lansing. A sudden lake-effect snowstorm can turn it white fast. If you slide off and aren't hurt, you may need a winch-out, not a tow.
M-6, the Paul B. Henry Freeway
The south side's freeway, linking I-96 and I-196. Say M-6 and give the nearest exit.
28th Street, Alpine Avenue and East Beltline
These are state routes too. 28th Street carries M-11, and Alpine Avenue and East Beltline carry M-37. A car that won't start in a lot on 28th Street often just needs a jump start.
Lake Michigan Drive and Fulton Street
M-45 heads west toward Allendale as Lake Michigan Drive. M-21 runs east as Fulton Street. On a long stretch like these, a cross road or a business name helps your driver find you. If the gas gauge is on empty, ask for fuel delivery.
West Michigan winters
Lake-Effect Snow Country
Grand Rapids sits about 25 miles inland from Lake Michigan. Cold air crossing the lake picks up moisture and dumps it here as lake-effect snow. The squalls come quick and sudden, and they can drop a lot of snow in a short time.
That changes how you handle a breakdown:
- Clear your tailpipe. If you're stuck in a drift with the engine running, make sure snow isn't blocking the exhaust.
- Stay visible. Hazards on, dome light on at night. Plows and other drivers need to see you.
- Don't dig out on a freeway shoulder. Stay in the car and let the partner do it.
- Watch the river in spring. The Grand has flooded the city before, including a major flood in April 2013. Don't drive through water on the road.
Check closures on MDOT's Mi Drive map before you head out in a squall.
Areas We Cover Around Grand Rapids
Call from any quadrant of the city or the suburbs around it:
- Downtown, Heartside and Midtown
- Heritage Hill, East Hills and Eastown
- Creston, Belknap Lookout and the North End
- Garfield Park, Alger Heights and Roosevelt Park
- West Grand, John Ball Park and Ottawa Hills
- Wyoming, Kentwood and Grandville
- Walker, Comstock Park and Plainfield Township
- East Grand Rapids, Ada and Cascade
- Jenison, Allendale, Byron and Gaines Townships
Michigan's move-over law
When an emergency vehicle is stopped with flashing red, blue, white or amber lights, Michigan drivers must slow to at least 10 mph under the posted limit. With two or more lanes their way, they must also move over a lane, or two car widths, when they can.
Read MCL 257.653a on the Michigan Legislature site. The rule covers tow trucks too: under MCL 257.2, a road service vehicle with flashing red or amber lights counts as an emergency vehicle for this law.
Questions
Grand Rapids Towing Questions
How do I tell you where I am in Grand Rapids?
Street addresses here carry a quadrant: NE, NW, SE or SW. Fulton Street and Division Avenue are the dividing lines. Give us the street, the quadrant and a cross street, or share your location from your phone.
I'm stuck in a lake-effect squall on I-96. What do I do?
Stay in the car with your belt on and hazards going. Keep the exhaust clear if the engine's running. Call us, and we'll check on you by text until your driver arrives.
Can you tow my car from Wyoming or Kentwood to a shop downtown?
Yes. Tell us the shop's name or address. Your price covers that trip and comes by text before anyone is sent.
Can I watch the truck coming?
Yes. You get the driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map. It's part of our Stay-With-You Promise.
Roadside help in Grand Rapids, MI
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Grand Rapids
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids 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
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Grand Rapids roadside guides
Grand Rapids, MI
Stuck in Grand Rapids? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.