A free quote, built on what dispatch knows
The quote is dispatch's price for the job as it's described on the call. It's free, there's no obligation, and you hear it before a truck is dispatched. Because it's built on the information available at the time, it's a conditional quote: if the job turns out to be different from the one described, or something comes up that no one could see from the phone, the final price can change.
What goes into the quote
There's no fixed formula, because no two jobs are the same. Dispatch weighs the details of each call to arrive at a fair price for that situation, including:
- The vehicle: its type, size, weight and condition
- The location: where the vehicle is, where it's going, and the distance between
- The situation: how the vehicle is sitting and how easy it is to reach
- The work involved: the equipment, time and handling the job is likely to need
- Conditions at the time: time of day, weather and road conditions
- Anything else dispatch learns on the call that affects the job
Why the final price can change
Dispatch can only price what it knows. When the job on site isn't the job that was described, the work changes, and so can the price. Examples of unforeseen complications:
- Details that weren't shared or didn't match the call: a vehicle that's a different type or size, in a different spot, or in a different condition than described
- A vehicle that won't cooperate: no keys, locked wheels or brakes, stuck in park, or flat or missing tires
- Hard-to-reach vehicles: tight spaces, low clearance, locked gates, soft ground, or a vehicle buried in snow, mud or a ditch
- Recovery instead of a simple load: a vehicle that has to be winched, uprighted or pulled from an embankment
- Scene cleanup: fluid spills, glass or debris that has to be cleared
- Extra time on site: waiting for police, a property manager, keys or the owner
- Route changes: a new drop-off, extra stops, road closures or detours
- Loads and cargo: trailers, equipment or contents that weren't mentioned
- Weather or road conditions that change after the call
If something on site changes the job, dispatch or the driver will explain what's different and why.
How to get the most accurate quote
- The exact location: an address, cross streets, a mile marker, or a parking garage level
- The vehicle: year, make, model, and anything modified, like a lowered or lifted suspension
- Its condition: whether it starts, rolls, steers and shifts into neutral, and whether you have the keys
- How it's sitting: on a street, in a garage, in a ditch, or stuck in snow or mud
- Where it's going: the shop, home or other drop-off
- Photos, if you can send them
The more dispatch knows up front, the closer your quote will be to the final price. For what generally affects towing prices, see towing prices.