Customer tracking
A tow truck tracking link your customers will actually open
Last updated
The short answer
A tow truck tracking link is a private page texted or emailed to the customer that shows which truck is coming, the arrival time your office set and where the truck is on a map. In TowSitePros the customer needs no app and no account, and the same page becomes their receipt when the job is done.
What does the customer see on the tracking page?
The customer sees the status of their job in plain words, the arrival time you set, which truck is coming and the quote, all on one page that works on any phone. Below that is a progress trail and a list of updates, each with a time.
Your phone number is a big button on the page, because someone stranded at night wants to know a person will answer. While the truck is on the way the page also shows it on a map, when your company has live tracking switched on.
- Status, estimated arrival, unit and quote at the top
- A live map while the job is active
- A progress trail and a timestamped list of updates
- A tap-to-call button for your office
How does the customer get the link?
The link is created when the job is logged. If the customer used your request form, the confirmation screen offers it straight away, and it is emailed if they gave an address. If texting is on and they agreed to texts, the first text carries it.
Jobs you log by phone or push in through the API get a link too, and you can copy it from the job and send it yourself. A new link replaces the old one, and you can revoke a link from the job whenever you want.
How accurate is the arrival estimate?
It is an estimate, and the page says so. Your own arrival time always wins. When the customer has shared their location and the truck has a fresh position, the page can also show a distance-based estimate labeled as one.
There is no routing engine behind it, so it does not know about traffic or a closed road. If the driver's phone stops sharing, the page says how old the last position is instead of pretending it is current, and after a few minutes it stops offering an estimate at all.
What can the customer do from the page?
The customer can do the things they would otherwise phone you for. They can share their exact location, send the driver a short message, and turn on text updates when texting is set up for your company. Before the truck is on scene they can cancel and say why, and your office is told right away.
When the job is complete the page becomes the receipt, with the final price, the pickup and drop-off, any signatures the driver captured, a print button and your own pay-online link. The customer can also rate the service there.
What do you control, and what does the page not do?
You control whether the map shows at all, and you can turn it off for your company. The link is the only key: the page is never indexed by search engines, it stops working after 30 days, and it never shows your internal notes, your driver's personal number or anyone else's job.
It is not a permanent record and it does not show the driver photos, which stay on your side of the job. It is also not turn-by-turn navigation for the customer, since the driver handles the driving.
Frequently asked questions
Does the customer need an app or an account?
No. They tap the link and see their job. The link itself is the only key, which is why it is private to that job and can be revoked from the job at any time.
Can I turn the map off?
Yes. Live tracking is a setting for your company. Switch it off and customers still get the status, the estimate you set, the quote and the receipt, just without the truck on a map.
What if the driver's phone loses signal?
The map keeps showing the last position it received and says how old that position is. It does not present an old dot as live, and it stops giving an estimate when the position is too stale to trust.
What if the customer forwards the link?
Anyone with the link can see that one job, and nothing else of yours. Because you can revoke it from the job and it expires on its own, a forwarded link does not stay open for long.
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