Wake Up for the Job. Sleep Through the Price Shopper.
Night-Time Alerts let you choose which finished jobs ring you (call plus SMS) and which wait for morning. The AI still answers every midnight call in under two seconds. You decide what is worth sitting up for. This is on Starter at $99/mo.
What Night-Time Alerts Are
An after-hours towing call is either a real hook or a waste of adrenaline. Tow Deputy answers 24/7/365. Night-Time Alerts are the rule that says: after your night window starts, only certain outcomes wake a human. Confirmed, high-paying work can call you. Impound FAQs, junk-car tire-kickers, and people who hear the quote and hang up can wait. That is the feature Jay D. at J&J Towing & Recovery set for 12 AM–6 AM.
“I set it up specifically for the 12AM–6AM window. I used to wake up to every single call, half of them just price shoppers. Now Tow Deputy screens everything — it collects the info, qualifies the job, and only wakes me up with a call if it's a confirmed, high-paying call. I'm sleeping through the night again and still catching every legitimate job.”
— Jay D., Owner-Operator, J&J Towing & Recovery · 100% call answer rate
According to Salary.com, a towing dispatcher averages about $48,447 a year (~$23/hour). Night coverage is not one salary if you want weekends. Starter includes night-time alerts, multi-language, and SMS and app summaries at $99/mo. There is no free plan. A 14-day free trial is on Starter and Growth. For the full after-hours pitch, see after-hours towing answering service.
According to TheKeyBot, 85% of emergency callers will not leave a voicemail and the average missed inbound service call costs about $119. Operators here report a local job around $150. Voicemail at 3 AM is not a strategy. Answering every call and waking only for some of them is.
How It Works
- You set business hours and night hours (the same night window the Smart Pricing Engine can surcharge).
- Forward after hours only, or always. Keep your number; nothing to port. Live in under 24 hours.
- The AI picks up, classifies, quotes, and either books, escalates, or ends the call.
- If the outcome matches your wake rule, you get a call and SMS. If it does not, the job or the note waits on the dashboard for morning.
- Drivers still get SMS and app alerts when a job is created. Your bedroom and the truck do not have to ring for the same reasons.
Worked Example (Sample Night Window)
Example only — not a recommended policy. Night hours 10:00 PM–6:00 AM. Wake rule: call plus SMS if the job is booked and the quote is $200 or more, or any booked tow over 15 miles. Everything else is a morning summary. Sample card: $50 hook-up inside 10 miles, $100 at 15, $3.50/mi, $25 night surcharge.
| 2:15 AM call | Example quote | Outcome | Do you wake? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price shop, 6 mi, declines $71+$25 | $96.00 | End call | No — morning note |
| Impound inventory FAQ | — | FAQ / end | No |
| 12 mi night ditch, books $257 | $257.00 | Job created | Yes — call + SMS |
| 4 mi lockout, books $65+$25 | $90.00 | Job created | SMS to driver; you sleep (under $200) |
The $257 ditch is the one Jay D. wants. The $90 lockout can go to an on-call driver if you staff that way, or you can change the rule so every booked job wakes you. The feature is the filter, not a lecture about sleep.
Forwarding after hours only is the usual first week: you still answer days; the AI owns midnight. When you trust the quotes, you can forward always. Simultaneous calls still answer. Friday night does not dump caller two to voicemail while you are on caller one.
Settings You Control
- Night hoursYour window — 12 AM–6 AM, 10 PM–6 AM, weekends, holidays
- Wake rulesWhich jobs call you versus wait for morning
- Alert channelsCall + SMS for the ones that matter
- ForwardingAlways, after hours, or busy — keep your number
- Night surchargePriced separately on the rate card if you charge one
- PlanIncluded on Starter ($99/mo) and Growth ($199/mo)
What It Does Not Do
Night-Time Alerts do not drive the truck. Someone still has to roll. They do not negotiate motor club or police rotation. Distressed accident calls should escalate to a person — you set that. They do not replace a human night dispatcher when your volume is a full radio room; they replace voicemail and “wake up for every ring.”
They do not sync into Towbook or Omadi. You get SMS and the dashboard; you enter the job manually. Native two-way sync is on the roadmap and is not built yet. And “high-paying” is your number, not ours. If you set the threshold at $200, a $150 local (the site-wide average ticket) will not wake you unless you change the rule.
Related Features
- After-hours towing answering service and night dispatch
- SMS and app alerts that reach the driver, not just the owner
- Night-time surcharges on the same night hours
- Press-1 human transfer when a night call should not stay on the AI
- All Tow Deputy features
Night Alert FAQs
How do midnight call alerts work for a towing company?
The AI answers every night call in under two seconds. You choose which finished jobs wake you with a phone call plus SMS, and which wait for a morning summary. Price shoppers and junk-car FAQs do not have to ring the bedroom. Confirmed, high-paying tows can. Night-time alerts are on Starter at $99/mo, not a paid add-on.
Do I need the Growth plan for night-time alerts?
No. Night-time alerts, multi-language support, and SMS and app dispatch summaries are on Starter at $99/mo (290 calls) and on Growth at $199/mo. Smart Deposits are the feature that starts at Growth. There is no free plan. Starter and Growth include a 14-day free trial. Extra calls are $0.30 each or $30 per 100.
Can I forward my number after hours only?
Yes. Keep your number and forward always, after hours only, or when the line is busy. Nothing to port. You can also start on a dedicated AI number. Live in under 24 hours. After-hours-only forwarding is how a lot of one-truck shops test the 12 AM–6 AM window before they give the AI the daytime line.
Is this cheaper than hiring a night dispatcher?
A towing dispatcher averages about $48,447 a year (~$23/hour) according to Salary.com. Night coverage is not one FTE if you want 12 AM–6 AM seven days a week. Starter is $99/mo. It will not replace a human on a police rotation or a wreck where someone is hurt. It will answer the phone so those calls are not voicemail.
What if I want to be woken for every booked tow?
That is a valid rule. You set which jobs wake you. Some owners want every confirmed hook. Some only want jobs over a dollar threshold or outside a certain radius. The AI still screens the call; the alert policy is yours. Impound FAQs and wrong numbers should not use the same ring as a $250 ditch recovery.
Test the 12 AM Window on the Demo Line
Call (615) 205-9369 after midnight if you want, or start a 14-day free trial and forward nights only.