Tow Deputy FAQ

An AI towing dispatcher is software that answers your shop phone with a natural voice, collects vehicle, drivetrain, pickup, and drop-off, quotes your rate card, and alerts a driver by text and app. Tow Deputy does that 24/7/365 in under two seconds. It classifies Tow Request, Roadside Assistance, or FAQ, then books a job, escalates to a person, or ends the call.

An AI towing receptionist is the front-desk half of the same product: it greets the caller, figures out tow vs lockout vs impound vs price shopper, and finishes intake before anyone on your side picks up. Unlike a phone tree, the caller just talks. Unlike voicemail, the job is qualified and priced when the call ends.

It covers the same 24/7 phone job, but it is not a room of agents taking messages. A human answering service usually bills per minute and leaves you a note. Tow Deputy quotes your prices, can collect a deposit on Growth, and texts a finished job. Humans still win on motor-club negotiation and badly distressed callers.

One-truck owner-operators who cannot answer while winching, and 2–10 truck fleets that want structured intake without a second night dispatcher. Roadside-only shops use the same agent for lockouts, jumps, tires, and winch-outs. It is towing software, not a generic receptionist with a wrecker skin.

Under two seconds, 24/7/365, including the 12 AM–6 AM window and holidays. That pickup speed is the whole argument against voicemail. According to TheKeyBot’s 2026 research, 85% of emergency callers will not leave a message — they dial the next listing in about 90 seconds.

Yes. Simultaneous calls run in parallel, so a busy Friday does not dump caller two and caller three into voicemail. Each connected conversation counts as one call on Starter or Growth. That is the practical difference from a one-person front desk or a single night phone.

Year, make, model, drivetrain, problem type, keys, whether it is blocking a lane, and pickup and drop-off. Location Intelligence turns landmarks, exits, and “the Walmart on Broadway” into an address, or texts a geo pin if it cannot. You get the summary by SMS and in the dashboard.

You set escalation rules. Distressed or complex calls go to you or an on-call person instead of forcing a quote. Police rotation, motor-club negotiation, and irate customers are the ones most operators keep on a human. The AI is honest about that limit on purpose.

Tow Deputy uses a natural-sounding voice, not a menu recording. Most callers just answer the questions and get a truck. If you want callers told up front that they reached an automated dispatcher, raise it on setup — some shops prefer that, and it is your call.

Starter is $99/mo with 290 calls and a 14-day free trial. Growth is $199/mo with 590 calls, Smart Deposits, and the same trial. Extra calls are $0.30 each or $30 per 100. Lead Engine is $3,000/mo by phone, with 60 routed jobs and extras at $29.99. There is no free plan.

No. There is no free Tow Deputy plan. Starter and Growth include a 14-day free trial. After day 14 you pay $99 or $199, or you cancel. Lead Engine does not have a self-serve trial. No contracts and no hardware either.

The live AI on a dedicated number or forwarded calls, your rate card, SMS and app dispatch summaries, night-time alerts, and multi-language support. Growth’s trial includes Smart Deposits. Cancel during the trial and you owe nothing for that window. After that it is a paid plan or you stop.

The AI keeps answering. Extra calls on Starter and Growth are $0.30 each, or $30 per 100. We do not shut the line off at 290 or 590. If overage is a habit, Growth’s 590-call allotment is usually cheaper than stacking $0.30 on Starter.

Yes. No long-term contracts. Move from Starter to Growth when you want deposits or more included calls. Cancel before the next bill and you are not charged again. Email [email protected] or call (615) 430-2081 and we confirm the change in writing.

Most shops are live in under 24 hours. You load hook-up, miles, zones, night hours, and roadside flats from the dashboard — no code. Forward always, after hours, or when busy, or start on a dedicated AI number. Book 30 minutes if you want a person on the call.

No. Keep your existing number and forward it to Tow Deputy — all the time, after hours only, or just when your line is busy. You can also start on a dedicated AI number and test real calls before you forward anything. Nothing to port. Google listing stays put.

Yes. After-hours-only and busy-forward are first-class setups. Jay D. at J&J Towing & Recovery uses the 12 AM–6 AM window so only confirmed, high-paying jobs wake him. Night-Time Alerts let you choose which job types ring a person and which wait for morning.

No. Cloud software, no desk phones, no yard install. Drivers use a web app that installs on any iPhone without an app store, plus SMS. You need a phone number to forward and a browser for the dashboard. That is the hardware list.

Not today. Tow Deputy works alongside Towbook, Omadi, and any dispatch software via SMS and dashboard handoff; you enter the job manually. Native two-way sync is on the roadmap and is not built yet. We will not write that it syncs or pushes into those systems in the present tense.

When a job is created, the driver gets a text and a push in the driver web app with full details. They accept or decline by tap or text reply, and can update quote or ETA before accepting. You also see the call, recording, and transcript in the dashboard.

Yes. Keep Towbook, Omadi, or a paper board. After the call you copy the structured intake into whatever you already run. That is slower than a future native sync and faster than a voicemail that says “some guy on I-65.” The integrations pages spell out the handoff.

Yes, on Growth and above. During the call the AI sends a PCI-compliant SMS payment link. Money lands in your own Stripe account through Stripe Connect. Set a percentage, or only on long-distance. Optional pay-now discount and optional pass-through of card fees live in the dashboard.

Growth ($199/mo) and Lead Engine. Starter answers and quotes; it does not collect money on the call. If no-shows or long-distance rolls are eating you, that is the upgrade reason — not a vanity tier. The 14-day Growth trial includes deposits so you can see the link flow.

To your Stripe account, not to Tow Deputy. Stripe Connect is the rail. You keep the merchant relationship. We do not hold customer card numbers in a form on our site. Processing fees are Stripe’s; you can pass them through if you turn that setting on.

Yes. Roadside Assistance Intake covers lockouts, jump starts, tire changes, and winch-outs, each with its own rate. The agent decides tow vs roadside instead of assuming a hook. Same location capture and driver alert as a tow. Call the demo line with a jump-start script if you want to hear it.

Yes. Each roadside service has its own rate next to hook-up, per-mile, zones, vehicle-class surcharges, and night hours. All of that is editable in the dashboard with no code. Zone-Based Pricing stacks with those flats when the pickup sits in a farther ring from the yard.

Yes. The agent switches to Spanish automatically for Spanish-speaking callers. That is included with multi-language support on Starter and Growth, not a bolt-on. Start the demo line in Spanish if you want proof. There is also a Spanish product page at /es/.

Yes. Total Call Control lets you teach FAQs, prices, and policies, pick from 12+ voices, set a press-1-for-a-human menu, and respect business hours. It books scheduled tows and captures notes. Impound inquiries and junk-car calls can end as FAQs instead of fake dispatches.

Yes. Every call is recorded and transcribed. The dashboard shows calls, tows booked, and quoted revenue. Use recordings when a caller disputes a quote or a driver says the notes were wrong. Treat them like any other customer recording under your state’s consent rules.

Yes. Deposit Collection uses a secure, PCI-compliant SMS payment link. The caller pays on that link into your Stripe account. Do not ask customers to read card numbers to the AI or email them to [email protected]. If you need the flow in writing, read the deposit feature page.

A towing dispatcher averages about $48,447 a year according to Salary.com, before nights and a second shift for 24/7. Starter is $99/mo. The AI never sleeps and takes simultaneous calls. A person still wins on judgment calls. Many shops use the AI at night and a human at the desk by day.

Tow Deputy publishes prices from $99/mo and a 14-day trial. We quote your rate card, including zone hook-up fees, and collect deposits on Growth. Compare the two on the Tow Deputy vs TowPilot page using only facts each site publishes. We are not affiliated with TowPilot.

When most of your inbound volume is motor-club coordination, police rotation, or accounts that negotiate terms on the call. Same if callers are often wrecked and sobbing and need a person before anything gets solved. Use AI for high-volume, priceable local tows and roadside — that is most of the phone for most shops.