There is a particular kind of confusion that happens after a collision. You are standing at the side of the road doing the mental arithmetic on your week, and a tow truck arrives that you did not call. Somebody hands you a clipboard. Everyone seems to know what happens next except you.
So it is worth knowing the answer in advance, because it is simple: you choose.
The short version
In Alberta, the owner of the vehicle decides which towing company moves it and where it goes. That decision is not made by the other driver, by a tow operator who turned up, or by the body shop the driver recommends.
There are two genuine qualifications.
Police can order a vehicle cleared. If your vehicle is blocking a live lane or creating a hazard, officers can have it moved immediately, and that may mean a rotation operator takes it off the roadway. This is a safety power, not a transfer of ownership over the decision. Where the vehicle ends up afterwards is still yours to say.
Your insurer may have preferred providers. Policies and roadside memberships usually come with a dispatch service and sometimes a network of approved shops. Using them can be simpler. But "preferred" is not "required," and it is worth reading what your policy actually says rather than what the person on the phone implies.
Why anyone cares who tows your car
It sounds like a small decision. It is not, for two reasons.
Storage charges start immediately. If your vehicle goes to a compound rather than to a shop you have chosen, it accrues daily storage from the moment it lands. A week of confusion over authorisation can cost more than the tow.
Whoever holds your vehicle has leverage. Getting a car released from a compound you did not choose, to a shop you did choose, is a phone call at best and a genuine dispute at worst. Naming the destination at the scene avoids all of it.
What to say at the scene
Once you are safe and out of traffic, and once anyone injured has been dealt with, there is one sentence that resolves most of this:
"I have my own towing company and my own shop. I am calling them now."
Then do it. If a truck you did not call is already there, you can decline. If you have already been told a tow is on its way, ask who dispatched it and where they intend to take the vehicle.
If your vehicle has to be cleared urgently for safety, let it be cleared — but ask where it is going, get the company name and the address, and photograph the tow slip.
Before you sign anything
The tow slip is a contract. Treat it like one.
- Check the destination is written on it. If the space is blank, fill it in before signing, not after.
- Check the company name and phone number are there. You will need them.
- Ask whether storage applies, and from when.
- Do not sign a blank authorisation. A slip with open fields can be completed later by someone whose interests are not yours.
- Photograph the slip and the vehicle before it is loaded — the damage, the position, and the surroundings.
Chase trucks
A "chaser" is a tow truck that arrives at a collision nobody dispatched it to, having picked it up from a scanner or a spotter. The practice is discouraged, and restricted in a lot of jurisdictions, because it puts commercial pressure on people in the worst few minutes of their week.
You are not obliged to use a truck that simply appeared. If someone is insistent, pressuring you to sign quickly, or vague about where the vehicle is going, those are all reasons to slow down rather than speed up.
Why we bang on about this
Our whole pitch as a company is that you should pick who shows up. That is not a marketing line we invented — it is the actual legal position, and it is the single piece of information that most changes how the aftermath of a collision goes for people.
If you know in advance who you would call, the decision is already made when you need it. Put a number in your phone now, whether it is ours or not.
What we will tell you on the phone
If you call us from a scene, we will tell you the realistic ETA, what the tow will cost, and where we can take it. If your shop is closed, we will tell you that too, rather than defaulting your vehicle into storage you did not ask for.
For what to have ready before you dial, see what to tell dispatch when you call a tow truck.
This article describes general practice in Alberta and is not legal advice. If you are in a dispute over a vehicle, a towing bill or storage charges, speak to your insurer or a lawyer.
