24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Tow Truck Service Across Greater Sudbury
Stuck in Sudbury? 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 Sudbury. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Sudbury area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Sudbury? Find a tow truck near you.
Sudbury tow truck help
Towing in Sudbury, on Two-Lane Bypasses and Long Northern Highways
Greater Sudbury is one city on paper. On the ground, it's rocky Canadian Shield hills, more than 330 lakes and a lot of road between them. Highways 17, 69 and 144 all meet here. Here's what each one means when your car quits.
The Highway 17 bypasses
Trans-Canada traffic skips the core on the Southwest and Southeast Bypasses. Most of that loop is a two-lane road with at-grade intersections, not a freeway. The Southeast Bypass runs 11.1 km with no crossroads at all, then ends at a traffic light on Municipal Road 55, about 2 km west of Coniston. If you stall out there, tell us the last road you passed.
Highway 17 west
From Lively out past Whitefish, 17 is a freeway for about 21 km. The old highway runs beside it as Municipal Road 55, so tell us which of the two you're on.
Highway 69 south
It's a divided four-lane freeway for about 64 km, past Wanup, Estaire and Burwash toward the French River. South of the river, much of the road toward Parry Sound is still two lanes. Coming into town, 69 turns into Regent Street.
Highway 144 north
It leaves 17 west of Lively and heads past Chelmsford, Dowling and Onaping toward Timmins. North of Cartier, the only gas station on the whole highway is at the Highway 560 junction. Fill up before you go. If you run dry anyway, ask about fuel delivery.
Inside the city
Old Highway 17 becomes Lorne Street at the Big Nickel Road interchange, then winds through downtown as Brady and Lloyd Streets and heads east as The Kingsway, lined with big box stores. Regent Street, Paris Street and Notre Dame Avenue once carried Highway 69 through town. Give us the nearest cross street.
Northern Ontario winter
Deep Cold, and Sand on the Side Streets
Sudbury sits north of the Great Lakes, open to arctic air, and snow can cover the ground for up to six months. Environment Canada's 1981 to 2010 normals for the Sudbury airport show what that looks like.
- About minus 18 CThat's the average January low. A battery that cranked fine in October can go silent overnight. Ask for a jump start before you ask for a tow.
- About 24 days of wind chill below minus 30Don't stand outside waiting for the truck. Wait in the car or a building, and watch your phone for our texts.
- About 17 days of freezing rain or drizzleIce glazes the glass and the road together. Bridges and overpasses freeze first.
- About 263 cm of snow a yearThere's 20 cm or more on the ground on about 73 days. Fog turns up on about 63 days too.
Here's the local catch. When it's colder than minus 12 C, salt stops working, so the City spreads sand instead. Rural and residential roads get sand only, all winter. That's why a quiet street in Hanmer or Lively can stay slick long after the main roads are bare. If you slide into a snowbank and the car isn't damaged, a winch-out may be all you need. See the City's salting and sanding page.
On 17 and 69, give plows room. Ontario's driver handbook says their blue lights show from 150 m away, some carry a wing that sticks out 3 m to the right, and on freeways several may work staggered across every lane. Don't try to pass them.
Areas We Cover Across Greater Sudbury
Locals still call the core Sudbury and use the old town names everywhere else. Use whichever name you know. Seven former towns and cities make up Greater Sudbury, and Sentinel covers all of them.
The core
Downtown, New Sudbury and The Kingsway, Copper Cliff, and Bell Grove by Laurentian University on Ramsey Lake.
West: Walden
Lively, Waters, Mikkola, Naughton and Whitefish, along Highway 17 and Municipal Road 55.
Northwest: Rayside-Balfour and Onaping Falls
Azilda and Chelmsford, then Dowling and Onaping up Highway 144.
North: Valley East and Capreol
Hanmer, Blezard Valley and the rest of the valley, out to Capreol.
East: Nickel Centre
Garson, Falconbridge, Skead, Coniston and Wahnapitae.
South: Wanup and Highway 69
Wanup and the Highway 69 corridor toward Estaire.
Greater Sudbury Rules That Can Cost You Your Car
- The overnight ban. From December 1 to March 31, you can't park on any road, highway, laneway or side street between midnight and 7 a.m. Cars that block snow clearing can be towed. If yours is gone, the City says to call 311. Details are on the winter parking ban page.
- Private lots. Here, a property owner asks the City to remove an unauthorized car. An enforcement officer then calls a towing company to take it away and impound it.
- When you ask for a tow. Ontario's towing rights say the driver has to take the most direct route to the place you chose. Once you've given consent, they can't change the deal. You can get your things out of the car at the storage yard during business hours at no charge.
- On the bypass. Ontario's Highway Traffic Act says drivers must slow down and pass with care when a tow truck is stopped with its amber lights flashing. Where there's a second lane, they must move over when it's safe.
Deer and moose at dusk
Ontario's handbook says to watch for shining eyes at the roadside, especially from dusk to dawn. If an animal is on the road, slow down and sound your horn. Don't try to steer around it. If you hit one, stay in the car, don't try to move the animal, and report it to police or the Ministry of Natural Resources. Then call us for the tow.
Sudbury Towing Questions
Is it Sudbury or Greater Sudbury? Which one do you cover?
Both. In 2001, the old city and its suburban towns merged into one city, Greater Sudbury. So Chelmsford, Garson, Lively and Hanmer are all covered. Just tell us the community and the nearest cross street.
My car is gone from the street after a February storm. Was it towed?
It may have been, if it was parked during the overnight ban and got in the way of snow clearing. Call 311 first. The City can tell you. If it was stolen, call police.
Can a partner tow me from Chelmsford to a shop on The Kingsway?
Yes. You get the price by text before we dispatch, and if the final bill is higher, you pay the texted price. You also get your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck as it heads out to you. It's all part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
I locked my keys in the car at Science North. Is that a tow?
No. That's a lockout call. A partner comes to open the car where it sits. On a cold day, wait inside while you track the driver.
Roadside help in Sudbury, ON
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Sudbury
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Sudbury 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 Sudbury 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
Sudbury, ON
Stuck in Sudbury? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.