In 1967, the ministère des Transports implemented the exclusive towing service in the Montréal metropolitan area to ensure the safety of road users. It is an essential part of the traffic management system and it helps improve the flow of traffic.
To improve the effectiveness, speed and safety of interventions, stationary vehicles in one of the exclusive territories must be towed by a company under contract with the Ministère.
In short
The exclusive towing network includes expressways on the island of Montréal, in Laval and in parts of the South Shore and North Shore, as well as bridges under provincial jurisdiction in the Montréal metropolitan area. The network covers more than 325 kilometres of expressways.
The rates and the definitions of exclusive towing operations are presented in a rate schedule prepared by the Ministère. The rate schedule appears on the back of every user’s invoice.
If you have an accident and your vehicle is still operational, you must:
If you are unable to move your vehicle, it is preferable that you remain inside until rescue services arrive. If you exit your vehicle, you run a serious risk of being hit.
All interventions that involve a risk for tow truck drivers require that a protection vehicle be present to secure the scene. Hence, it may not be possible for the tow truck driver to tow the vehicle immediately.
For their own safety and that of the road users in trouble, tow truck drivers must wait for the arrival of the protection vehicle, particularly when the intervention takes place on a shoulder that is less than three metres wide or less than one metre away from the edge line.
An incident that occurs on an expressway that is part of the exclusive network can be detected by:
As soon as an incident is detected, the appropriate rescue services are dispatched to the scene in order to protect and assist the road user.
Did your vehicle break down? Did you witness an incident on the exclusive towing network? To report a situation that requires the assistance of a tow truck, you can use the toll-free emergency line by dialing *4141 on your cell phone, or 310-4141 on any other type of phone.
Although towing contracts are managed by the Ministère, it is the Sûreté du Québec that coordinates their implementation.
You can contact the Ministère by mail, by telephone or by secure email.
© Gouvernement du Québec, 2022