24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Tow Truck Help in Lansing, MI
Stuck in Lansing? 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 Lansing. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Lansing area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Lansing? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck help in Lansing
Towing in Lansing, Inside and Around the I-496 Loop
Lansing sits between Detroit and Grand Rapids, where the Grand River meets the Red Cedar. Three Interstates tie it together, and one of them loops right through downtown. When your car gives out, those are the roads we'll ask about first.
- I-496. It runs through downtown and meets I-96 at both ends. REO Town sits just south of it on Washington Avenue.
- US 127. This north-south freeway runs between Lansing and East Lansing. Tell us which side of it you're on.
- I-96 and I-69. I-96 heads west to Grand Rapids and east to Detroit. I-69 comes up from Indiana and turns east toward Flint. On either one, give the last exit you passed.
- Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue. Both carry M-43 across the city. MLK Boulevard carries M-99.
On any freeway, stay in the car with your belt on and hazards going. If you're blocking a lane or anyone's hurt, call 911 first. Then call us, and a vetted local partner comes with a tow truck. Your price is locked by text before they head out.
Out of gas on 127?
US 127 keeps going north toward Clare and Grayling and south toward Jackson. Run dry on it and you don't need a tow. Ask for fuel delivery, and a partner brings enough to get you to a station.
Mid-Michigan winters
Colder Than Grand Rapids, With Less Snow
Lansing sits far enough inland that it mostly misses the lake-effect snow that hits Grand Rapids and other places to the west. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lansing airport show about 50 inches of snow a year, well under Grand Rapids. But the cold lasts longer here.
- About 143 freezing nightsThat's how many nights a year the airport drops to 32 or below. A battery that's weak in fall may not make it to spring. A jump start buys time, then get it tested.
- About 8 nights at zero or colderThat's nearly double Grand Rapids. On those mornings, engines crank slowly. Park in a garage if you have one.
- About 53 days below freezingOn those days the high stays at 32 or under. Snow and ice melt slowly, so side streets can stay slick.
- Snow from November to AprilMeasurable snow usually falls between early November and early April. Slid into a snowbank but not damaged? A winch-out should do it.
Before you drive, check MDOT's Mi Drive map for closures and plow updates.
Areas We Cover Around Lansing
Lansing splits into four sides. Call from any of them, or from the townships around the city.
Eastside
Michigan Avenue and Kalamazoo Street, out to the Frandor Shopping Center on the eastern edge.
Westside, downtown and Old Town
Downtown around the Capitol, historic Old Town north of it along the river, and the homes and shops along Saginaw Street.
Northwestside
North of the Grand River, with Grand River Avenue as its main street.
Southside and REO Town
REO Town, on Washington Avenue just south of I-496, and the rest of the Southside.
Nearby, we cover East Lansing and the Michigan State campus, Meridian, Delta, Delhi, DeWitt, Bath, Lansing and Alaiedon Townships, the Lake Lansing area and Capital Region International Airport. Before your driver shows up, you get their name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map.
Michigan law
Slow Down 10 Under for Flashing Lights
Michigan's rule for stopped emergency vehicles is specific. If a stopped emergency vehicle is showing flashing red, blue, white or amber lights, drivers must slow to at least 10 mph below the posted limit. If they have two or more lanes going their way, they must also move over one lane, or two vehicle widths, when they safely can.
There's one exception worth knowing on I-96 and I-496. If the stopped vehicle is on the other side of a median or barrier, you don't have to slow for it. Read MCL 257.653a on the Michigan Legislature site.
When it's you on the shoulder, our Stay-With-You Promise means we check on you by text until help pulls up.
Questions
Lansing Towing Questions
Is winter towing in Lansing worse than in Grand Rapids?
Different, not worse. Lansing gets less snow, but it has more freezing nights. That's harder on batteries, and there's less lake-effect snow to dig out of.
My car won't start in a lot at Frandor. What do you send?
If it clicks or the lights are dim, a partner with a jump pack. If it still won't go, we text you a new price for a tow, and you decide.
Can you tow me from East Lansing to a shop in Lansing?
Yes. Tell us the shop's name or address on the call. The texted price covers that trip, and nothing gets added without your OK.
Roadside help in Lansing, MI
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Lansing
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Lansing 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 Lansing 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
Lansing roadside guides
Lansing, MI
Stuck in Lansing? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.