Shelby Township Towing
(586) 302-3412Sterling Heights, M-53, Hall Road and the mile roads, day or night
Towing in Sterling Heights, MI
Sterling Heights lies about 8 road miles from central Shelby Township, most of it on the M-53 freeway. We name the price on the call, as one figure, before any truck heads south.
Down the Van Dyke Freeway: how our trucks get to Sterling Heights
Getting to Sterling Heights means a drive of about 8 road miles from central Shelby Township. The usual run heads east on 23 Mile to the M-53 freeway at exit 20, then south past Hall Road to the freeway's south end near 18 Mile, where M-53 and Van Dyke Avenue come back together.
It's a big city to search for one car: 36.44 square miles of land and 134,346 people at the 2020 Census, the fourth-most-populous city in Michigan. The grid helps. Mile roads run east-west from 14 Mile up to Hall Road, which is 20 Mile, and the city adds half-mile roads - 16½, 18½ and 19½ Mile - so say which one you mean.
What to tell us
- On M-53 - which direction, and the exit you passed last: 20 at 23 Mile, 17 at Hall Road, or 15, the roundabout exit for Van Dyke and 18½ Mile.
- On M-59 - your direction, and whether you're near the Mound Road-Merrill Road exit on the Shelby Township line or east of Van Dyke on the Hall Road boulevard.
- On a mile road - the mile and the nearest cross road, such as Dequindre, Ryan, Mound, Van Dyke, Schoenherr or Hayes.
- On Utica Road - it cuts across the grid on a diagonal, so name the last crossing, like the roundabout at Dodge Park Road across from City Hall.
- In a subdivision - the street, plus the mile road and cross road at its entrance.
With that, the dispatcher prices the whole job as one total: the miles out from Shelby Township, the truck, the time at your car and the drop-off. Our page on what sets the price of a Sterling Heights tow explains each part, and the truck leaves only after you agree.
Emergency towing in Sterling Heights: M-53's busiest miles, Hall Road and Mound Road
The heaviest traffic counted on all of M-53 runs right here: 62,594 vehicles a day in 2010, between the freeway's south end and Hall Road. Stopped there with the car sticking into a lane, or no way onto the shoulder? Hazards on, and 911 is your first call.
When the freeway shuts, Mound Road carries the load. MDOT closed southbound M-53 between 18 Mile and Hall Road for about three months from March 4, 2024, to repair 10 bridges, with a posted detour west on M-59, south on Mound and east on 18 Mile; northbound took its turn from that August. MDOT's notice on the job also listed bridge work at Utica Road, 19 Mile, Canal Road and Clinton River Road.
Hall Road is a freeway along the city's northern line as far as Van Dyke, with the Mound Road-Merrill Road exit on the Shelby Township border, and a boulevard east of there. On a divided road, a truck coming from the far side may have to pass you and swing back through a median crossover - the U-turn MDOT calls a Michigan left - so tell us which side of the median you're on.
Sterling Heights police patrol the city. For the State Police, this is Metro North Post territory, and troopers have run joint traffic enforcement on M-59 and M-53 with the Oakland and Macomb sheriffs. Under MCL 257.252d, an officer may order a car hauled away if it's blocking traffic or too damaged to drive from a crash scene, and a crash tow goes back to its owner only after the police agency releases it.
If you're the one calling, the car goes where you pick - home, a body shop in the city or one back toward Shelby Township. That's a breakdown or crash tow on M-53 or Hall Road, with the price settled before the truck heads south.
Roadside help in Sterling Heights: river launch lots, trail parking and zero-degree mornings
Sterling Heights averages 1.2 winter days a year at zero degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and a morning like that finishes off a tired battery in a driveway or a lot. The driver clamps a jump pack on, gets the engine turning and checks the charging output before you go.
The Clinton River winds through the city, and its two public launches keep cars parked for hours: Rotary Park on Utica Road, where parking is free and boats ride a rail system up to the lot because vehicles can't pull close to the landing, and North Clinton River Park on Riverland Drive. A car that won't start after a paddle is a roadside job, not a tow.
The city's park trails close at 8 p.m. from October through March. Come back near closing time to a dead car or doors locked with the keys inside? Tell us the park and the lot; locked cars are opened with car-opening tools.
County bridge and road work can narrow the east side to temporary lanes, as it did on Schoenherr Road over the Red Run Drain in 2026. If a tire goes in a work zone, roll on to a side street or lot before stopping if you can do it safely; we fit the spare or haul the car to a tire shop.
Running on fumes on M-53? Tell us which way you were headed, the exit you just passed, and whether it burns gas or diesel. Jump starts, lockouts, spares and fuel are all roadside service in Sterling Heights, and none of them needs a hook-up.
Flatbed towing in Sterling Heights: AWD, EVs, crash damage and runs across Dequindre
Even after the run down M-53, the car decides the truck, not the mileage. A front-wheel-drive sedan headed to a Van Dyke shop can ride the wheel-lift; AWD and 4WD vehicles, EVs, lowered cars, classics and motorcycles ride a flatbed out of Sterling Heights, however short the trip.
Crash damage is the everyday reason here. A car that can't roll or steer after a collision on M-53, Hall Road or a mile road goes onto the deck with each tire strapped, so a bent wheel never scrapes its way to the body shop.
Longer trips always ride the flatbed. Past the nearby towns - west across Dequindre Road, which is the Oakland County line, or south over the Warren border - every car goes on the deck, whatever drives its wheels.
Motorcycles travel upright, front wheel chocked and frame strapped down.
Winch-outs in Sterling Heights: plow banks, unplowed courts and the river parks
Most stuck cars in Sterling Heights are stuck in snow. The city ranks its streets: Priority 1 is the main arteries, 15, 17 and 19 Mile, Ryan and Canal among them; Priority 2 is the subdivision collectors; Priority 3 is every other residential street, courts and cul-de-sacs included. In a declared snow emergency, crews aim to finish within 30 to 36 hours after the snow stops.
Until the plow reaches a court, a car that slid into a hardened bank can stay wedged. We work from cleared pavement, run the winch line to a proper recovery point and draw the car back onto the road the way it came.
Digging out yourself first? Keep the snow on your side of the curb: Sterling Heights treats pushing driveway snow out into the road as a ticketable offense. Mound, Schoenherr, Utica Road, Van Dyke and Hall Road are plowed by the county's roads department, not the city.
In the river parks we stay on the asphalt. Every park trail is non-motorized, and at Rotary Park vehicles can't pull close to the landing, so a car that left the edge of a lot gets pulled back by the cable, never reached by driving across grass.
These are light-duty trucks: cars, pickups, vans, SUVs and motorcycles fit their rating, while a box truck, RV, bus or loaded trailer calls for a heavy-duty outfit. Anything inside that limit is a winch-out from a Sterling Heights snowbank or lot edge.
Car towed in Sterling Heights? Ask the police Traffic Safety Division first
Sterling Heights, a city since 1968, has its own police department, and impounded vehicles are handled by its Traffic Safety Division.
Winter adds a reason of the city's own: during a declared snow emergency, every vehicle is to be parked off city streets, and cars left out may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense. If yours vanished from the curb in a heavy snowfall, that division is the first call.
- Police dispatch, non-emergency
- 586-446-2800
- Impounded vehicles, Traffic Safety Division
- 586-446-2920
- Records Bureau, report copies
- 586-446-2900; police offices open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Metro North Post, Michigan State Police
- 248-584-5740 - the post assigned to Macomb and Oakland
A tow from a private lot follows a timetable in MCL 257.252a. The property owner may have a car left without consent taken by a local towing agency, but the tow company has to notify the police before removing it, and within 24 hours the police check whether it's stolen and enter it in the state's law enforcement network as abandoned.
The Secretary of State then mails the owner a notice. A challenge to the tow or the fees has to reach the court named in it within 20 days of the notice date, and the state's abandoned-vehicle search can show you where the car is held.
Towns bordering Sterling Heights, and official pages to keep handy
Hall Road is the line with Utica and with Shelby Township, where our 24-hour towing service in Shelby Township is based. Clinton Township borders the city on the east, and Macomb Township meets it at the northeast corner.
- Sterling Heights on Wikipedia - from the 1968 incorporation to the mile-road grid and the freeways that cross the city.
- City of Sterling Heights - the official city site, with council meetings, services and city news.
- Sterling Heights Police Department - dispatch, records, the Traffic Safety Division and crash report links.
- Snow and Ice Removal Program - what a declared snow emergency means for cars left on city streets.
- Canoe and kayak the Clinton River - the Rotary Park and North Clinton River Park launches, with parking notes.
- State Police, Second District posts - the Metro North Post that answers for Macomb County, with its phone.
- MDOT Mi Drive - current M-53 and M-59 closures, incidents and traffic cameras.
- Census QuickFacts for Sterling Heights - population, land area and commuting figures.
Frequently asked questions
Do you tow in Sterling Heights, and how do your trucks get here?
Yes, around the clock. The city sits about 8 road miles from central Shelby Township, and our trucks usually come down the M-53 freeway. Shelby Township Towing covers the whole city for light-duty towing, jump starts, lockouts, flatbed moves and winch-outs. Give us the location, the vehicle and the destination, and you'll get a single price before the truck rolls.
I broke down on M-53 near Hall Road - do I call 911 or a tow truck first?
If the car is sticking into a lane, or you can't get it onto the shoulder, 911 comes first: police can shield the scene and can order a blocking car moved. Once you're out of traffic, call us with your direction of travel and the exit behind you - 17 at Hall Road or 15 at the 18½ Mile roundabout.
My car was towed from my street during a snow emergency - who do I call?
Start with the Sterling Heights Police Traffic Safety Division, which handles impounded vehicles, at 586-446-2920, or police dispatch at 586-446-2800 outside office hours. The city says that during a declared snow emergency all vehicles are to be parked off city streets, and cars left there may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.
My car won't start at the Rotary Park launch - can you come to the lot?
Yes. A battery that died during a paddle is a roadside call: the truck brings a jump pack to the lot on Utica Road and gets you started. If the battery won't hold, the same truck can take the car to a shop. Trails there close at 8 p.m. from October through March, so tell us if you're waiting after dark.
Can you take my AWD SUV from Sterling Heights to a dealer in Troy?
Yes. All-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive and electric vehicles always ride our flatbed, with no wheel turning on the road. Troy is west across Dequindre Road, the Oakland County line. The price covers the miles, the time spent loading and the destination, and you'll hear it as one figure on the phone before we head out.
Before you call about Sterling Heights, check these four things
With these, we can name the total and the truck before anyone heads down M-53.
- Location - M-53 with your direction and last exit, Hall Road, a mile road and cross road, or a park lot
- Vehicle - year, make and model, and whether it's AWD, 4WD, electric, lowered or a motorcycle
- Problem - crash damage, no start, flat, keys locked in, out of fuel, or wedged in a snowbank
- Destination - home, a shop or body shop in the city, or a longer run on the flatbed