SMITH TOWING & R E C O V E R Y
Flag-wrapped Peterbilt wrecker at sunset — semi truck towing Crosby TX

SEMI TRUCK TOWING

Class 8 tractor & trailer transport, any condition, any hour.

Semi Trucks

CLASS 8 TRANSPORT WITHOUT THE HEADACHES

When a sleeper goes down on I-10 or a day cab loses steering on US-90, dispatchers need one phone call that solves the whole problem. Our Peterbilt heavy wrecker handles Class 8 tractors with and without trailers attached, loaded or empty.

Fleet managers call us directly for drop-offs to their shops or dealerships. We bill net-30 with standard insurance paperwork. Owner-operators get the same price and the same truck.

Ship Channel and industrial plant clearance included (we’re TWIC certified). 24/7 dispatch from Crosby.

Capabilities

SEMI TRUCK CAPABILITIES

  • Class 8 tractors (Peterbilt, Freightliner, Kenworth, Volvo, Mack, International)
  • Sleeper cabs & day cabs
  • Tractor with trailer attached
  • Loaded & empty trailer transport
  • Post-collision semi recovery
  • Fleet drop-off & dealership delivery
  • Ship Channel / plant clearance (TWIC)
  • Net-30 billing for fleet accounts

CLASS 8 TRACTOR TOWING — TRACTOR ONLY OR WITH TRAILER

A Peterbilt, Freightliner, Kenworth, Volvo, Mack, or International tractor is a heavy, air-braked vehicle that a light-duty wheel-lift has no business touching. We tow Class 8 tractors with the trailer attached or as a bobtail unit, loaded or empty, across Houston and Crosby. The hookup is matched to the drivetrain and suspension so the tow itself never adds a repair to the bill — air lines are bagged or caged correctly, the driveline is handled the right way for the axle configuration, and the tractor rides on the proper equipment for its weight.

Whether you broke down bobtail on US-90 or you are sitting on the shoulder of I-10 with a full van behind you, one phone call covers the whole unit. We have run Class 8 transport since 2001, so the dispatcher you reach already knows the questions to ask — loaded or empty, drive-axle or steer-axle problem, where it needs to go — and rolls the right truck the first time.

LOADED & EMPTY TRAILER TRANSPORT

When the tractor is down but the trailer still has to move, we transport vans, reefers, flatbeds, and step-decks — loaded or empty — to your shop, a drop yard, or a relay point. A loaded trailer changes the entire job: the weight, the balance, and the way it has to be pulled all depend on what is inside and how it is distributed. We work the trailer the right way so the freight stays secure and the trailer reaches the destination undamaged.

If the load is time-sensitive or the trailer has to be repositioned to keep a delivery on schedule, tell the dispatcher when you call and we will plan the move around it.

DECKING & UNDECKING

Decking and undecking — loading a disabled tractor or trailer onto a transport, or setting it back down at the destination — is its own skill, not an afterthought. Done wrong it bends frames, cracks fairings, and damages landing gear. We deck and undeck Class 8 equipment with the lift capacity and the rigging to do it controlled and square, so a tractor that went down with a mechanical problem does not pick up body or frame damage on the way to the shop.

MOBILE REPAIR VS. FULL TOW — WHICH ONE YOU NEED

Not every roadside breakdown needs a tow. Some Class 8 problems — a blown air line, a dead battery bank, a fuel issue, a minor electrical fault — can be sorted on the shoulder and put the truck back in service the same hour. Others, like a major driveline or engine failure or anything after a collision, need a full tow to a shop. We run an on-site diesel shop, so when you call we help you make the right call instead of automatically dispatching the most expensive option.

If a mobile fix gets you rolling, that is the cheaper, faster answer and we will tell you so. If it needs to come in, we tow it and the same company can work on it — one point of contact instead of a tow company pointing at a repair shop and back.

TRAILER SWAP & RELAY

When a tractor is out of service mid-route, a trailer swap keeps the freight moving. We can shuttle a disabled trailer to a meet point, drop it for a replacement tractor, or relay the load so your fleet is not stuck waiting on one repair. For carriers running tight delivery windows out of the Port and the Ship Channel, this is often the difference between a late load and an on-time one. Coordinate it with the dispatcher and we will work it into the recovery plan.

POST-COLLISION & ACCIDENT RECOVERY

A semi that has been in a wreck is a recovery, not a simple hook. There may be a shifted or spilled load, leaking fluids, a jackknifed or overturned trailer, or a tractor that can no longer roll on its own. We secure the scene, recover the tractor and trailer, and re-secure or transfer cargo when a damaged trailer can no longer carry it — working to clear a live highway fast so traffic moves and a second incident does not happen. When the job is beyond a wheel-lift, our heavy wreckers bring the lifting and pulling power to set an overturned rig back on its wheels.

ROTATORS, WRECKERS & A 40-TON CARRIER ON CALL

Behind our semi-towing service is real heavy iron: a 35-ton heavy wrecker and 50- and 75-ton rotators, with recovery capacity up to 80,000 lbs. That matters when the job is bigger than a routine tractor tow — a fully loaded rig, a rollover, a deep ditch pull, or a tandem-axle trailer that has to be lifted and decked. We are not subbing the heavy work out to another company and marking it up; the trucks that show up are ours, run by operators who do this every day.

FLEET ACCOUNTS & NET-30 BILLING

Fleet managers and safety officers call us directly. We set up net-30 commercial accounts with standard insurance and billing paperwork, deliver tractors and trailers to your shops or dealerships, and give you a real dispatcher — not a call center — on every call, 24/7/365. Owner-operators get the same equipment and the same straight pricing as the largest fleet. Quotes are given up front before the truck rolls, so there is no surprise invoice at drop-off.

SEMI TOWING COVERAGE ACROSS GREATER HOUSTON

We dispatch 24/7/365 from our 4-acre Crosby facility at 4338 Harvey Rd and run semi calls across the metro — I-10 through the Baytown and Katy stretches, US-59 / I-69, US-90, I-45, I-610, Beltway 8, and the SH-225 / Houston Ship Channel corridor. Our operators are TWIC certified, so we clear refinery, chemical-plant, and marine-terminal gates along that corridor without the delay an uncleared truck runs into. Typical response runs about 15 minutes in Crosby and roughly 20 to 40 minutes across greater Houston depending on location and traffic, and you get a straight ETA when you call. For Class 8 recoveries that have to run beyond greater Houston, we also dispatch statewide heavy-duty and semi recovery along the Texas freight corridors.

Local coverage

SERVING CROSBY & GREATER HOUSTON

We provide this service 24/7 across Crosby and the greater Houston area, including:

CrosbyBaytownChannelviewPasadenaDeer ParkLa PorteKingwoodHumbleAtascocitaHighlands

Common Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes. We tow Class 8 tractors with the trailer attached — loaded or empty — or as a bobtail unit, across Houston and Crosby. Tell the dispatcher what is behind the tractor and how it is loaded and we roll the right truck for the weight.
It depends on the failure. Air lines, batteries, fuel, and minor electrical faults can often be handled on the shoulder by our mobile diesel service and put you back in service the same hour. Major driveline, engine, or post-collision damage needs a full tow to a shop. We help you make that call on the phone instead of defaulting to the most expensive option.
Yes. We move loaded and empty vans, reefers, flatbeds, and step-decks to your shop, a drop yard, or a relay point. For carriers on tight delivery windows we can also do a trailer swap or relay to keep the freight moving while the tractor is repaired.
Semi towing is priced per job: it depends on whether the trailer is attached, loaded or empty, the distance, and any recovery involved. We quote the job up front before the truck rolls, the same as our light-duty work, so there is no surprise invoice at drop-off.
Yes. We set up net-30 commercial accounts with standard insurance and billing paperwork, deliver to your shops or dealerships, and put a real dispatcher on every call 24/7. Owner-operators get the same equipment and the same pricing as the largest fleet.
Yes. Post-collision and rollover work is heavy recovery, and we bring a 35-ton heavy wrecker and 50- and 75-ton rotators — capacity up to 80,000 lbs — to upright the rig, recover the tractor and trailer, and re-secure or transfer cargo when a damaged trailer can no longer carry it.

NEED HELP RIGHT NOW?

Our dispatcher picks up personally: no voicemail, no queue.