24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Buffalo, NY: Tow Trucks and Winch-Outs Through Lake-Effect Season
Stuck in Buffalo? 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 Buffalo. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Buffalo area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Buffalo? Find a tow truck near you.
Tow truck in Buffalo
Towing in Buffalo: The 33, the Skyway and the 290
The car dies on the Kensington, down in the cut where a concrete barrier splits the lanes. A tire goes flat up on the Skyway. The battery gives out in a lot by KeyBank Center after the game.
Buffalo runs on a handful of expressways. The I-190 cuts through downtown between KeyBank Center and Sahlen Field, then turns north along the Niagara River past the Peace Bridge and Black Rock. It's part of the Thruway, so breakdowns on it go to the Thruway's authorized garages (see below). The Kensington Expressway (NY 33) carries the East Side out to the airport in Cheektowaga. The Skyway (NY 5) is the elevated road along the Outer Harbor into Lackawanna. The Scajaquada (NY 198) crosses Delaware Park, and the Youngmann (I-290) links Tonawanda, Amherst and Williamsville.
Tell us which one, your direction and the last exit. We text a locked price, then send the nearest available partner. That could be a winch-out from a snowbank in Kaisertown, a jump in an Elmwood Village driveway, or a tow off the 290 to your shop.
Broken down on the Thruway itself?
The Thruway has its own rules. That covers I-90 and the part of I-190 from the Thruway up to Niagara Falls, known as the Niagara Thruway. The Thruway Authority says only its authorized garages may service disabled cars there, and towing goes through its authorized garages too.
For an emergency on the Thruway, call 911. Read the details on the Thruway's roadside page. Once you're off it, on the 290, the 33 or a city street, call us.
Lake-effect snow
One Snow Band Can Bury One Town and Miss the Next
Buffalo's snow comes off Lake Erie in bands, and where they land depends on the wind. The National Weather Service says a band can drop 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour or more, while the sun shines a mile or two away. So Orchard Park can be buried while Amherst is just gray and cold.
So tell us the street, the town and the nearest cross street, not just "Buffalo." It decides which partner can reach you.
- Stuck, not broken. If you slid into a bank and the car still runs, you likely need a winch-out, not a tow. Don't spin the tires. It packs the snow and digs you in.
- Cold kills batteries. A battery that was fine in October can quit on the first hard freeze. If it clicks and won't crank, start with a jump.
- Snowbanks shrink side streets. A street that fits a truck in July may not in February. If you're parked on a narrow street, say so, since it changes which truck comes.
When the roads close
Stuck in a Whiteout? Call 911 First, Then Us
In the December 2022 blizzard, Buffalo was under a full driving ban for five and a half days, and every major highway in western New York closed for four to five days. Two thirds of the emergency vehicles sent out to rescue people got stuck themselves.
A tow truck can't beat a whiteout either. If you're stranded in one, call 911. Then follow the Weather Service's advice for a stuck car:
- Stay in the car. It's easy to get lost in blowing snow.
- Clear snow from the exhaust pipe before you run the engine.
- Run the engine for 10 minutes each hour for heat, with a window cracked open.
- Turn on the dome light at night while the engine runs, and tie something bright to the antenna or door.
- When the snow stops, raise the hood to show you need help.
Once the roads reopen, call us for the winch-out or tow. Until then, tell us one number and we'll text your family where you are. That's part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
Areas we cover around Buffalo
City Neighborhoods, Northtowns and Southtowns
In the city
- Downtown, Canalside and the First Ward
- Allentown and the Elmwood Village
- Black Rock, Riverside and Grant-Amherst
- North Park, Hertel and Parkside
- University Heights and Kensington-Bailey
- Broadway-Fillmore, Lovejoy, Kaisertown and South Buffalo
Around Erie County
- Cheektowaga and the airport
- Amherst, Snyder and Williamsville
- Tonawanda and Grand Island
- Lackawanna and West Seneca
- Orchard Park and Highmark Stadium
- Clarence along Main Street and Transit Road
You get the driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track the truck on a map as it comes through the snow.
Car gone from the curb?
Check Whether the City Moved It
If you parked on a Buffalo street and the car is gone, start with the city's Has My Car Been Towed page. It searches by plate or VIN.
The city sometimes does a "mini-tow," moving a car up to 500 feet to a legal space, so look down the block first. And the city only tows from city streets and city property. If you were in a private lot, the lot's owner handles its own towing. During snow removal, the city says to call your district police station.
We don't handle impound releases. But once your car is back and won't start after days in the cold, call us.
New York's move over law
Under Vehicle and Traffic Law 1144-a, drivers must take care around a tow truck with amber lights on. On expressways and parkways, they must move out of the lane next to the shoulder when it's safe. The law also covers any car stopped on the shoulder of those roads.
Buffalo questions
What Buffalo Drivers Ask Before They Call
I'm broken down on the Thruway near Cheektowaga. Can you send someone?
Not onto the Thruway. Only the Thruway's authorized garages may service or tow cars there. Call 911 if it's an emergency. If you can get off at the next exit, call us from there.
My car is stuck in a snowbank on a side street. Do I need a tow?
Maybe not. If the car runs and isn't damaged, a winch-out pulls it back onto the street. If it hit something hard or won't drive, we switch you to a tow. Either way, your price comes by text first.
My car won't start in the lot after a Bills game. Can you help in Orchard Park?
Yes. Tell us the lot and a landmark near your car. A dead battery is often a jump start. Stay with the car so the driver can find you in a crowded lot.
My car isn't where I parked it. Was it towed?
Check the city's towed-car lookup first. Buffalo sometimes moves cars up to 500 feet to a legal space, so walk the block too. If it was a private lot, ask the property owner or manager who towed it.
Can you tell my family where I am if the storm gets bad?
Yes. Give us one number. We text them your location and when the truck should arrive, and we keep checking on you by text until it does.
Roadside help in Buffalo, NY
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Buffalo
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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
Buffalo roadside guides
Buffalo, NY
Stuck in Buffalo? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.