Does a Tow Truck Need Your Keys?

Let’s say you need a vehicle towed but can’t find the keys. Generally, ignition requirements include keys, so do you have to wait for a lockout service to show up? Does a tow truck need your keys?

The good news is, at this point, you’re not entirely out of luck if you don’t have keys. There are ways to handle vehicle recovery without keys, though it’s not always simple. Read on as Formula 1 Collision Center, a reliable towing service in Tucson, AZ, sheds some light on the matter of moving vehicles without their keys since towing is what we do best.

Tow Trucks Don’t Need Your Car Keys

Keys make vehicle retrieval easy. You can put the car in neutral and roll to the auto shop with the tow truck. However, sometimes it’s not possible to do this, like when you’re towing a vehicle that isn’t yours, you’ve lost your keys, or the engine won’t start.

The first important thing to note here is that when you call a tow truck company, you’ll want to let them know you don’t have key access so they can arrive with the proper equipment. It takes some extra tools to get the vehicle loaded up, but it can be done.

Towing Procedures Without Key Access

Does a tow truck need your keys? The answer is no.

There are a couple of ways to move a vehicle without accessing the inside. Still, a word of caution: never tow a truck without legal permission or the guidance of official Towing Company Regulations. If you do sneak a car away without the authority to do so, you can get into serious legal trouble.

If you have permission to tow the vehicle, here are two safe ways to do so without the keys:

Dollies

Specialized dollies, called self-loading dollies, move vehicles using two bars that fit around a tire and two to four wheels that haul the vehicle around. The tow company places a dolly around each tire and puts it into the loaded position to raise the vehicle off the ground. Once all the tires are off the ground and the dollies are secure, the tow truck can move the vehicle.

A bigger dolly is safe for road usage. Smaller dollies only work for temporary usage.

Flatbed Trucks

Flatbed trucks are a second convenient way to tow heavy vehicles without getting inside them. The tow truck driver will have to use self-loading dollies to get the vehicle onto the flatbed (the smaller dollies). From there, the driver will remove the dollies to stop the vehicle from moving around as the truck transports it elsewhere.

Once loaded onto the truck, tie-down attachments ensure the vehicle doesn’t go anywhere.

Formula 1 Collision Center Can Tow Your Car

Does a tow truck need your keys? They don’t, which is helpful if you find yourself wondering where your set has disappeared or you’re in a jam. If you can’t find the keys, just call a tow truck from Formula 1 Collision Center in Tucson, Arizona, at (520) 369-4291 to get your car to the shop.