24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Tow Truck Help in North Bay, Ontario
Stuck in North Bay? 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 North Bay. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the North Bay area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in North Bay? Find a tow truck near you.
North Bay tow truck help
Towing in North Bay, Where Highway 11 Meets Highway 17
North Bay sits between Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake, on the rocky edge of the Canadian Shield. Two arms of the Trans-Canada meet here, and for 4.1 km through town they share one road. It's a four-lane route with major streets crossing it at grade and service roads alongside. That stretch runs from Algonquin Avenue east to the Twin Lakes interchange.
At the Algonquin Avenue end, Highway 17 carries on west and Highway 11 turns north onto Algonquin. At Twin Lakes, Highway 11 becomes a freeway south toward Callander and Toronto, and Highway 17 heads east toward Mattawa.
Thibeault Hill
Coming into town from the north, Highway 11 drops down Thibeault Hill on Algonquin Avenue. It's steep enough that the southbound lanes have the only runaway truck ramp on Ontario's provincial highways. If your brakes feel soft or smell hot on the way down, get onto the shoulder early and call for a tow. Don't try to limp to the bottom.
Near North winter
A Lot of Snow, Ice and Fog
North Bay winters are serious. Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for the North Bay airport show about 300 cm of snow a year. There's snow 20 cm deep or more on about 86 days, freezing rain or drizzle on about 18 days and fog on about 60. One note: that station sits at 358 m, well above downtown at 201 m, so conditions in town can differ.
- Plows first hit the big roads. The city starts plowing major arterials and collectors at 5 cm, and local streets at up to 8 cm. Residential clearing can take a while after the snow stops. Never pass a working plow.
- Overnight parking ban. From November 1 to April 15, on-street parking is banned overnight. On most streets the ban runs from 3 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. It's 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. downtown and 3 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on cul-de-sacs and dead ends.
- Moose and deer. Ontario's driver handbook warns about large animals on the road, especially from dusk to dawn. If you hit one, report it to the local police or the Ministry of Natural Resources, then call us.
- Cold starts. Lows drop below minus 20 C on about 30 days a year at the airport. A tired battery on one of those mornings needs a jump start.
Before a trip on 11 or 17, check Ontario 511. The province notes that winter can start early in Northern Ontario.
Stopping Safely on Ontario Highways
Ontario's Highway Traffic Act says not to stop on the roadway when you can get off it. If you truly can't, your car has to be visible from at least 125 m in each direction. So on a curve on Highway 11 or 17, roll past it if the car will still move.
The same act protects the driver coming to help you. Anyone approaching a tow truck stopped with amber lights flashing must slow down and pass with caution. On a road with two or more lanes their way, they must move over a lane when it's safe. Read sections 159 and 170 in the Highway Traffic Act.
Ontario also sets rights for anyone getting a tow, like an itemized bill and your choice of how to pay.
Areas We Cover Around North Bay
- Downtown along the lakeshore
- Gateway and Pinewood
- Thibeault Terrace, near the college and university
- St. John's Village, Eastview, Graniteville and Birchaven
- Trout Mills
- West Ferris: Sunset Park, Marshall Park and Champlain Park
- Widdifield: Hornell Heights, Feronia and Cooks Mills
- Callander and Corbeil
- Powassan and Trout Creek on Highway 11
- Sturgeon Falls, Bonfield and Mattawa on Highway 17
North Bay Towing Questions
I'm stuck on Highway 11 north of town in a snowstorm. Should I walk for help?
No. Ontario's handbook says to stay with your vehicle for warmth and safety until help arrives. Crack a window a little and run the engine only now and then. Call us, and we'll check on you by text while the truck is on the way.
My car won't start in a lot at Nipissing University or Canadore. What should I do?
If it clicks or the dash is dim, it's likely the battery. Call and ask for a jump. Tell us the campus and the lot. You'll get your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck as it climbs the hill.
Can someone at home see where I am?
Yes. Give us one number, and we text them your location and when the truck should arrive. It's part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
I slid into the ditch on Highway 17 near Bonfield. Is that a tow?
Not always. If the car isn't damaged and a truck can reach it, a winch-out may pull it back onto the road. We'll tell you on the call and text the price first.
Roadside help in North Bay, ON
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in North Bay
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for North Bay 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 North Bay 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
- Towing in Sudbury
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- Towing in Kitchener
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- Towing in London
- Towing in Windsor
- All Ontario cities
- All cities
North Bay roadside guides
North Bay, ON
Stuck in North Bay? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.