Dispatch open now · 24/7/365
Heavy-Duty Towing in Chicago and Suburbs
Heavy-duty work is a different business from car towing. The equipment costs more, the consequences of getting it wrong are larger, and the single most important thing that happens is the phone call — because if the gross weight is wrong, the truck that arrives cannot do the job and the whole thing starts again.
- from $350/hr · Portal to portal, one-hour minimum.
- 25–40 min city · 30–50 min suburbs
- Licensed & insured
We run heavy units for box trucks, straight trucks, sprinters, RVs, buses and equipment across Chicagoland, 24 hours. Billing is hourly, portal to portal, with a one-hour minimum, and you get the estimate before we roll.
Included as standard
What we handle
Box trucks and straight trucks
Loaded or empty, running or seized. Loaded changes everything about the lift, so say which it is.
Sprinters, cutaways and step vans
Too heavy for a light carrier, too light to need a rotator. This is the volume end of our heavy work.
RVs, motorhomes and buses
Long wheelbase, high centre of gravity and air brakes that may need to be caged before the vehicle will roll.
Equipment and machinery
Skid steers, mini excavators, generators and trailers moved on the appropriate deck with the correct tie-down rating.
Know before you call
What dispatch needs to know
- Gross vehicle weight, and whether it is loaded. This is the single most important number in the call — it decides the truck, the method and the price.
- Whether it rolls, steers and brakes. Air brakes that will not release need caging, and a drive axle that will not turn needs to be lifted or have the shafts pulled.
- Where it is, exactly. A loading dock, a yard, a live carriageway and a ditch are four different jobs with the same address.
- Height and overhead clearance at both ends. Viaducts, garage entries and low wires rule out routes long before they rule out trucks.
- Whether there is a load and whether it can be transferred. Sometimes offloading is faster and cheaper than recovering the vehicle loaded.
Step by step
How a heavy call runs
- 1
Detailed intake
Weight, condition, location and access. Five minutes on the phone saves an hour on scene and prevents a second dispatch.
- 2
Estimate before dispatch
Hourly rate, expected hours and any extras such as axle removal or air-brake caging, given up front.
- 3
Scene assessment
The operator confirms the plan on arrival. If the reality differs from the description, you are told before the clock does anything unexpected.
- 4
Recovery and delivery
Photographs throughout, an itemised invoice, and direct billing to a fleet account or insurer where that has been arranged.
Where heavy work happens in Chicagoland
The industrial belt does most of it: the yards and rail-adjacent lots around Cicero, Bedford Park, Summit and Bridgeview, the O'Hare freight area around Des Plaines and Franklin Park, and the warehouse corridors along I-55 and I-294. Delivery vehicles that go down mid-route on Cermak, Ogden, Archer or 95th Street make up much of the rest.
Viaducts are the recurring Chicago hazard. Low L and Metra structures on Fullerton, Armitage, Addison and dozens of other streets are struck by box trucks and rental vans regularly. A wedged vehicle under a viaduct is a recovery, not a tow: the truck must usually be deflated, lowered or winched back out along the exact line it entered on, and it needs someone who has done it before.
Transparent rates
What a tow costs in Chicago and the suburbs
Starting rates for standard passenger vehicles. Your exact total is confirmed on the call, before a truck is dispatched. No after-hours, weekend or holiday surcharge.
| Service | Starting price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Local tow (hook-up) | $89 | First 5 miles, loading, strapping, unloading |
| Each additional mile | $4.50 | Charged pickup to drop-off only |
| Jump start | $65 | Boost + charging-system check |
| Lockout | $65 | Non-destructive entry, no damage |
| Tire change | $75 | Your spare fitted & torqued |
| Fuel delivery | $65 | Plus fuel at pump price, up to 3 gal |
| Winch-out / recovery | $110 | Single-line pull, up to 30 minutes |
| Heavy-duty | $350/hr | Portal to portal, 1-hour minimum |
Straight answers
Heavy-Duty Towing — your questions
How is heavy-duty towing priced?
Hourly, portal to portal, from $350 an hour with a one-hour minimum — the clock runs from when the truck leaves our yard to when it returns. You get an estimate of the total hours before dispatch, and anything that changes it is discussed before it is done.
Why do you need the gross weight on the phone?
Because it determines which unit can legally and safely lift the vehicle. An underspecified truck cannot do the job, and sending a second one doubles your time and cost. An honest number, even a rough one, is always better than an optimistic one.
Can you recover a truck stuck under a viaduct?
Yes. It is a recovery rather than a tow — the vehicle usually has to come back out along the line it went in, often after lowering the suspension or deflating tyres. Tell dispatch what struck what and how far in it went.
Do you work with fleet accounts?
Yes. We set up account billing with agreed rates and consolidated monthly invoicing, plus photographic documentation on every job for your own damage records.
Related
Often needed at the same time
Coverage
Heavy-Duty Towing where you are
We run this service across the whole coverage area — Chicago and every suburb within about 40 miles of the Loop.
Need it now? Call and we roll.
Live dispatcher, honest ETA, price agreed before the truck leaves. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.