Tractor Trailer Towing in Gary, IN

Tractor trailer towing in Gary starts with a driver on a shoulder and a long list of questions. Where am I, how heavy is the rig, can the trailer stay on, where will it go. We handle semis headed into Chicago, out to the East Coast, or south toward Indianapolis and Louisville. Call (219) 529-2610 and give dispatch your location first.

Three directions of freight

Interstate 80 is a transcontinental road of about 2,900 miles, from San Francisco to Teaneck, New Jersey. In Indiana, it runs under the same pavement as Interstate 94, then as the Indiana Toll Road with Interstate 90. Interstate 65 runs 887 miles from Mobile, Alabama, up to its end at US 12 and US 20 in Gary. A semi that fails here may have started in Nebraska, or Tennessee, or Pennsylvania. The driver is usually far from home and needs a clear plan and a clear invoice.

The Toll Road for a long drive

The Indiana Toll Road runs 156 miles from the Illinois line to the Ohio line and is operated by the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company, under a 75-year lease signed in 2006. The westernmost former snack bar, at milepost 37.5, is now a truck-only parking area with no facilities, and the Portage Travel Plaza is at milepost 22. If you break down on the Toll Road, tell dispatch the milepost, the direction, and whether you are east or west of the Portage plaza.

What a semi tow involves

A tractor-trailer may be towed as a unit or in two parts. The operator decides based on the damage, the load and the axles. Drive shafts are pulled when the transmission is bad. Air brakes are released or the spring brakes are caged so the wheels roll. Landing gear is lowered before a trailer is dropped. The trailer may go on its own landing gear or onto a dolly. A loaded trailer can often stay on the tractor; if the trailer is leaning, torn or overweight, a load transfer may come first.

Call (219) 529-2610

Trailer types matter

Dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, tankers and lowboys all tow differently. A reefer needs its unit shut down or powered correctly so the cargo does not spoil. A tanker needs a check for leaks and baffles. A flatbed with steel coils needs the chains checked. Tell dispatch the trailer type and what it carries.

Brokers, fleets and drivers

A lot of tractor-trailer calls have three parties on the line: a driver, a dispatcher and a broker or insurer. We can send the estimate to all of them. If your company needs a tow authorization number before we hook up, give it to dispatch. If you are an owner-operator paying out of pocket, ask for the written estimate before the tow begins.

Truck stops and repair shops

We tow to the yard or repair shop you choose, or to a truck stop if the problem is minor. One cluster of truck stops sits at the Burr Street interchange of Interstate 80/94 in Gary, and Lake Station has several along Ripley Street. Some are not sized for a trailer that cannot move on its own, so tell dispatch where you want the unit to end up and confirm they will take it.