24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing and Roadside Help in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Stuck in Thunder 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 Thunder Bay. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Thunder Bay area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Thunder Bay? Find a tow truck near you.
Thunder Bay tow truck help
Towing in Thunder Bay, Where the Expressways Have Stoplights
Thunder Bay's two big roads are called expressways, but neither is a true freeway. Both have lighted intersections. That matters when your car quits, because cross traffic and turning traffic are all around you.
- The Thunder Bay Expressway. This 15.3 km corridor runs along the west side of the city, from Arthur Street West to Hodder Avenue. It carries Highway 61 in the south and Highway 11/17 in the north. It's four lanes, mostly with no median. Only the stretch between Balsam Street and Hodder Avenue has a grass strip between directions.
- Hodder Avenue. The partial cloverleaf here is the only interchange in all of Northwestern Ontario. Past it, 11/17 heads east toward Nipigon.
- The Harbour Expressway. A four-lane road with signals through Intercity, lined with big box stores and office parks. A stall at one of its lights is a tow call. Hazards on, stay belted, and don't wave people around you.
- The arterials. Dawson Road, Red River Road, Arthur Street, Golf Links Road, Balmoral Street, Memorial Avenue and Fort William Road are the main arterials. Some change names as they go, so give us a cross street too.
- The rail line. The CN line cuts diagonally across the south side and Intercity, crossing major streets. If you ever stall on a crossing, get everyone out and away from the tracks first, then call.
Leaving the city
Three Ways Out of Town
East on 11/17 to Nipigon
It's about 90 km to Nipigon. The first 36 km, from Balsam Street to Highway 587 at Pass Lake, is twinned. Past that, much of the road is still two lanes. On January 10, 2016, bolts on the Nipigon River Bridge failed during a winter storm. The closure cut Canada's road network in two, and east-west traffic had to detour through the United States until it partly reopened 17 hours later.
West on 11/17 toward Kakabeka Falls
West of the city, the Trans-Canada runs past Kakabeka Falls to Shabaqua Corners. There, Highway 17 turns northwest toward Dryden, Kenora and Winnipeg, and Highway 11 goes west to Atikokan. Both are mostly two-lane roads, and Highway 17 runs through thick boreal forest. Fill up before you go. If you run dry anyway, ask for fuel delivery.
South on Highway 61
Highway 61 runs 61 km from the city to the Pigeon River bridge, where it crosses into Minnesota. It's part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour.
Wait in the car
Ontario's driver handbook says that if you're stuck in severe weather, stay with your vehicle until help arrives. Open a window slightly and run the motor sparingly. Out on 11 or 17, that's where we check on you by text, so you're never wondering if anyone is coming.
Before a highway trip, check Ontario 511 for closures in the Northwestern region.
Cold, Fairly Dry Winters
Lake Superior softens winter for places within about 16 km of the shore. Even so, Thunder Bay holds Ontario's record for the coldest day with wind chill. On January 10, 1982, the wind chill hit minus 58. Winters here are fairly dry, not buried in lake-effect snow like parts of Michigan across the lake. The trouble is the cold.
- A battery that's fine in the fall may not turn the engine over at minus 30. Ask for a jump start first.
- Priority routes get plowed after 5 cm, starting at 2 a.m. Residential streets follow after 10 cm.
- Priority routes ban parking from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Calendar parking runs from late November or early December to March 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by even or odd day as posted. See the city's calendar parking page.
Areas We Cover Around Thunder Bay
- Downtown Fort William and Westfort
- Port Arthur and the waterfront
- Intercity
- Current River and Parkdale
- Northwood, Mariday Park and Jumbo Gardens
- County Park and River Terrace
- Mission Island
- Oliver Paipoonge: Murillo, Rosslyn and Kakabeka Falls
- Neebing, south of the city
- Shuniah to the east, and Pass Lake
Pull over for the truck
Under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, drivers passing a tow truck stopped with its amber lights flashing must slow down and go by with care. If there's a second lane their way, they must move over when it's safe.
Thunder Bay Towing Questions
My car died at Lakehead University in the cold. Can you help?
Yes. Tell us the lot. If the battery is just drained, a jump often gets you going. You'll see your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck from inside a warm building.
Can you tow me back to Thunder Bay from the Nipigon road?
Call and tell us where you are. We text you a locked price for the tow before anyone is sent. If the final bill is higher, you pay the texted price. That's part of the Stay-With-You Promise.
Can I choose where my car gets towed?
Yes. Ontario gives you the right to choose where your car goes, unless police started the tow. You also get to see an itemized bill before you pay.
Roadside help in Thunder Bay, ON
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Thunder Bay
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Thunder 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 Thunder 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
- Towing in North Bay
- Towing in Windsor
- Towing in Barrie
- Towing in London
- Towing in Kitchener
- All Ontario cities
- All cities
Thunder Bay roadside guides
Thunder Bay, ON
Stuck in Thunder Bay? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.