Towing questions, answered plainly.

No. Quick Tow ATL is a referral service. We take your call, learn what the vehicle and situation are, and connect you with an independent licensed operator who works your part of the metro. The operator does the towing and gives you the price.

The line takes calls 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays. Whether an operator adds an after-hours charge is the operator's decision, so ask about it while the quote is being confirmed.

Four things speed it up: the year, make and model, where the vehicle sits right now, where it needs to go, and anything unusual such as a locked steering wheel, a lowered body or a car stuck in mud. A pin dropped from your phone beats a rough guess at a street name.

Calls to the line may be recorded. Georgia is a one-party consent state under O.C.G.A. 16-11-62, so a participant in a conversation may record it. Tell the person who answers if you would rather not continue.

Not as a flat figure, because the operator sets it and the job decides it. Distance, vehicle type, access and time of day all move the number. Give the line the details and the operator confirms a price before anyone is dispatched.

Each independent operator chooses which payment methods it takes. Ask while the quote is confirmed, so the answer is settled before the truck is on its way. Only a City of Atlanta tow carries a published rule: cash, check, debit or a major card, with no surcharge.

That depends on the policy or membership. Some require you to go through their own dispatcher, and some reimburse afterward. Phone your insurer or club first to learn the rules, then ask the operator what paperwork it can provide.

Only in certain situations. A private-property tow of a vehicle at or under 10,000 pounds is capped by Georgia DPS Maximum Rate Tariff No. 5 at $228, and the City of Atlanta caps its own tow at $125. A tow you request yourself has no statutory cap and is quoted before dispatch.

Requests come in from Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties, from Midtown and Buckhead out to Alpharetta, Marietta, Lawrenceville and the airport side of College Park. The outer ring toward Cherokee, Henry, Douglas and Fayette is handled as a longer run.

Get everyone to safety, turn on your hazards and call the line with the interstate name, the direction and the nearest exit or mile marker. The perimeter, Spaghetti Junction, GA-400, I-20, I-75 and I-85 all see heavy traffic, so a precise location matters.

Usually not. When law enforcement orders the removal, the agency decides who tows and where the vehicle goes. In the City of Atlanta that means a contract wrecker assigned by police zone, and in a county it means that county's own process. A tow you request on your own is a separate call.

On a tow you requested, yes. Name the shop when you call, and have the operator confirm the drop-off before dispatch. Check the shop's receiving hours too, since some will not accept a car outside business hours.

A flatbed carries the whole vehicle on its deck. A wheel-lift raises the drive end or the front and lets the other wheels roll. Which one is safe depends on your drivetrain, ground clearance and whether the wheels turn, so describe the vehicle and check the owner's manual towing section.

Often, yes. Tell the line the exact model, the battery state and whether the car will enter its transport or tow mode. The operator needs to confirm suitable equipment and follow the manufacturer's instructions for that vehicle.

Requests for bikes, scooters, trikes, RVs and trailers are accepted. Describe the type, its size and where it sits, and the independent operator confirms whether the right equipment is available for the job.

Long runs are quoted as one route price. Give both addresses, the condition of the vehicle and any access limits at either end, and the operator tells you whether the trip and timing work.

Describe what happens when you turn the key, along with the vehicle details. The operator decides whether a jump is the right fix. A repeat failure points to a battery, alternator or starter fault that a shop should diagnose.

Say where you are, what vehicle it is, and whether you have a properly inflated spare, a jack and the locking-lug key. If you are on a busy shoulder, stay buckled in with hazards on until help arrives.

Request it with the fuel type your vehicle needs and your exact spot. The independent operator confirms whether delivery is available, how much it can bring and what the full price will be before dispatch.

Give the year, make and model and say whether the keys are locked in, lost or broken. The operator tells you if a lockout call is suitable, or if you should see an automotive locksmith or the dealer.

Coverage depends on your policy and the details of the crash. Ask your insurer which steps it requires and what paperwork it needs, and ask the operator what receipt or job record it can hand you.

Wherever the responding agency sends it. Once the vehicle is released, or when no tow was ordered, call the line and an operator can quote a move to a shop, home or insurance yard.

O.C.G.A. 44-1-13 and Georgia DPS rules control it. The lot needs signs posted within 50 feet of each entrance, at least 12 by 18 inches with lettering of three-quarters of an inch or more, naming the tow company, the retrieval address, the recovery cost and accepted payment. The operator must hold a DPS non-consensual permit and a written contract with the owner. A lot cannot be watched automatically to trigger tows, and the penalty is $1,000.

Work out who ordered the removal. Call the police in that jurisdiction to learn where the car went, and photograph the lot signs. For a private-lot tow, Tariff No. 5 caps the fee at $228 with no storage for the first 24 hours and up to $33 a day afterward.

The City of Atlanta caps its tow fee at $125 with no storage for the first 24 hours. DeKalb runs a lot at 2158 Tucker Industrial Road in Tucker, charging a $125 impound fee plus $15 a day. Fulton releases cars at the Sheriff and Marshal office at 185 Central Avenue SW, not at the tow yard.

We introduce them to permitted operators. We are not the permit holder, and Georgia requires the operator itself to have a DPS non-consensual towing permit and a written owner contract. Contact the line to start that conversation, and read the sign rules above first.