Open 24/7 · Calera, AL · I-65
24/7 Towing & Roadside Assistance in Calera, AL
South Calera Towing is a family-run tow company in Calera. Terry and Lisa Sims answer the phone themselves, day or night, and tow you anywhere from Clanton to Pelham – flatbed towing, wreck recovery, jump starts, lockouts and flat tires.
- 5.0 324 Google reviews
- Family-owned – 38 years in the automotive business
- Quotes by phone · cards on the scene
Stuck right now?
What happened? Here’s what to do.
Pick your situation – you get the first steps that keep you safe, and one tap to call us or text us exactly where you are.
After a crash – do this first
- Check that everyone is okay. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or a lane is blocked.
- Turn on the hazard lights and get out on the side away from traffic.
- Take photos of the cars and the other driver’s insurance card.
- Call us – or ask the officer to call South Calera Towing.
Car won’t start?
- Turn off the lights, radio and A/C.
- Listen when you turn the key: clicking, a slow crank or nothing at all? Tell us.
- If you are in a safe spot, stay in the car with the doors locked.
- Call us for a jump – if it’s the alternator or starter, we tow you to a shop.
Flat tire?
- Get completely off the road before you stop, if the car still rolls.
- Hazards on. Don’t change a tire on the traffic side of the car.
- Check for a spare and the lug-nut key (glove box, under the trunk floor).
- Call us – we put the spare on, or tow you to a tire shop.
Keys locked in the car?
- Child or pet inside on a warm day? Call 911 first.
- Check every door and the trunk – one may be open.
- Have your ID ready – we may ask for proof the car is yours.
- Call us – we open most cars without damage.
Stuck in a ditch or mud?
- Stop spinning the wheels – it digs the car in deeper.
- If the car leans or sits on a slope, get out and step away from it.
- Note the road and the nearest crossroad, mailbox number or mile marker.
- Call us – we winch it out carefully.
Ran out of gas?
- Coast as far off the road as you can and turn on the hazards.
- Don’t walk along the interstate to a gas station.
- Tell us whether the car takes gasoline or diesel.
- Call us – we bring enough fuel to get you to the next station.
Broke down and need a tow?
- Get off the road and turn on the hazards.
- On I-65, wait behind the guardrail – away from the car and the traffic.
- Note your direction and the mile marker, or the address.
- Call us – ask for a quote on the phone.
One call does it all
Towing, roadside help and wreck recovery
Our red rollbacks carry cars, pickups, SUVs, vans, motorcycles and small equipment. When a quick fix gets you going, we do that instead.
Towing
Cars, pickups, SUVs, vans and motorcycles – to your home, your mechanic or the dealer, 24/7.
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Roadside Assistance
Flat tires, dead batteries, empty tanks, lockouts and winch-outs – fixed where you are, or towed if it can’t be.
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Wreck Recovery
Rollovers, embankments, trees and multi-car wrecks – recovered carefully and cleared from the road.
Learn moreRoadside assistance
Recovery & more
Who answers when you call
Meet Terry & Lisa Sims
South Calera Towing is a husband-and-wife business. Lisa usually picks up the phone, tells you what it costs and keeps you posted; Terry usually drives the truck. When you call at two in the morning, you get one of them – not a dispatch center in another state.
Read our reviews and you will see the same names over and over. Lisa has told stranded drivers to wait inside a store out of the heat. Terry has driven a family from Michigan to a rental car counter so they could finish their trip to the beach. We have opened our shop for travelers to wait until family arrived. That is how we like to run a tow company.
- Local – our shop is at 1090 14th Street in Calera
- Ask for a quote on the phone
- Open 24 hours, weekends and holidays
- All major credit cards on the scene
Broke down on the interstate?
Right in the middle of I-65
Our shop is about a mile from exit 228 in Calera, so the interstate from the Peach Tower exit in Clanton to Pelham is close. Tell us your direction and the mile marker – on this stretch it matches the exit number – and we find you.
- 242 PelhamCR 52 · 15 mi from our shop
- 238 Alabaster, SaginawUS 31 (1st St) · 11 mi from our shop
- 234 Shelby County AirportCR 87 · 6 mi from our shop
- 231 Calera, Saginaw, MontevalloUS 31 · 3 mi from our shop
- 228 Calera, MontevalloSR 25 (Main St) · 1 mi from our shop
- 219 Jemison, ThorsbyCR 42 · 12 mi from our shop
- 212 Clanton – Peach Tower exitSR 145 (Lay Dam Rd) · 21 mi from our shop
- 208 Clanton, Lake MitchellLake Mitchell Rd · 25 mi from our shop
- 205 Clanton, VerbenaUS 31 / SR 22 · 29 mi from our shop
What drivers say
Making a bad day a little better
We had a terrible accident on I-65 around Calera. 4 cars involved - 3 were totaled. Everyone was traumatized and in shock. Our granddaughter was with us. Our Bluelink service called law enforcement as well as roadside service. Terry and Lisa from South Calera Towing came immediately. They were very calming and efficient. Helped us gather all of our belongs and then gave us a ride to their office so a family member could pick us up.
Terry and Ms. Lisa happily came out on Christmas night and unlocked keys from inside our trunk. We were 3 states away, roughly 900 miles, from home and ready to head back when they were accidentally locked in the trunk. Their quick response and gracious demeanor put us all at ease. Thank you South Calera Towing for sending these Christmas angels our way!
I recently had a wreck on 65 north with my 4 children. It was an experience I never want to repeat, but the day was made much better by Lisa and her team at South Calera Towing. They were swift, thorough, and incredibly kind people in the midst of a stressful, messy situation. After I had gathered my belongings from my wrecked vehicle, I arrived home over an hour away and realized I had accidentally left an item in the car. Lisa mailed it to me! She is such a sweet, kind, caring person.
Our work
Recent tows and recoveries
Black Range Rover on the Rollback
A black Range Rover loaded onto the flatbed – the right way to move a full-time four-wheel-drive SUV.
Blue Lexus SUV on the Flatbed
A blue Lexus SUV strapped down on one of our Freightliner rollbacks.
BMW X5 Delivered to a Dealership in Irondale
A white BMW X5 strapped down on our rollback and delivered to a BMW dealership in Irondale, on the east side of Birmingham.
Our hometown
Towing in Calera and the towns around it
Calera sits where Shelby County meets Chilton County, with I-65, US-31 and Highway 25 all running through town – which is why so many breakdowns and wrecks happen within a few miles of our shop. We tow from the neighborhoods off US-31, the shopping centers by the interstate, the old downtown and the railroad crossings, and the county roads out toward Montevallo and Columbiana.
From Calera we cover Alabaster, Saginaw and Pelham to the north, Montevallo to the west, Columbiana to the east and Jemison, Thorsby and Clanton to the south.
Questions
What people ask us on the phone
Are you really open 24 hours?
Yes – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, weekends and holidays included. Call (205) 668-0298 and Terry or Lisa answers.
How much does a tow cost?
It depends on the distance, the vehicle and how much work the situation needs. Ask us for a quote on the phone – and see our guide on towing costs.
How do I pay?
All major credit cards accepted on the scene. You get a receipt for your insurance.
Will my insurance pay for the tow?
Often yes – many policies and motor clubs cover or reimburse towing and roadside help. Call the number on your card first and ask whether they reimburse a local company; keep our receipt.
Can I ride in the tow truck?
Usually yes – there is room in the cab. With children or a bigger group, tell us when you call.
Where can you take my car?
Anywhere you need – your mechanic, a body shop, the dealer or home. We also deliver cars to dealerships across Alabama.
Do you tow AWD and electric cars?
Yes – on the flatbed, with all four wheels off the ground, which is how most manufacturers want them towed.
Stuck right now? One call does it all.
Call (205) 668-0298 – day or night, holidays too. Ask for a quote on the phone – and expect people who treat you like a neighbor.