(414) 279-5510 Call Semi-Truck Towing · 24/7
A tractor down on the shoulder, bobtail with no drive, a derate that won’t clear, or a rig that needs recovery after a crash. We tow Class 7 and 8 tractors driveline-safe: driveline disconnected, air brakes caged, steer axle lifted on the right adapters.
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Rate quoted before we hook up — we show the factors, never fabricate a number. COI on request.
MKE Towing & Recovery — open 24/7. Semi tractor down in Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County? MKE Towing & Recovery tows Class 7 and 8 tractors, bobtail or coupled, day cab or sleeper. The driveline is disconnected so the transmission and rear axles carry nothing, the air brakes are caged, and the steer axle is lifted at the factory tow points. Fleet and motor-club accounts are welcome. Call (414) 279-5510.
Instant quote — free, no phone call needed
Pick bobtail or tractor with trailer, enter the pickup and the shop, and the calculator shows the hook-up and loaded-mile rate. A recovery after a crash is scoped by the dispatcher on the call.
A down tractor is a clock you can’t stop. Tell dispatch the tractor, whether you’re bobtail or coupled, what’s locked, and your mile marker — a real Greater Milwaukee dispatcher answers live and we bring the right rig the first time.
Before you call
A tractor tow is planned from the cab. These answers set the truck and the method.
Get out of the traffic lane and set triangles well upstream if you carry them. The dispatcher gives you an arrival estimate for the truck on the same call.
Driveline-safe
With the driveshaft out, or an axle-back lift under it, the transmission and rear axles don’t turn on the way to the shop. The parts you would have to repair carry none of the tow.
The spring brakes are caged so the tractor rolls free instead of dragging flat spots into the tires. The steer axle goes up on the correct adapters at the factory tow points, never a strap around the bumper or a hook on a fuel tank.
Coupled rigs
When it is safe, the trailer is dropped on its landing gear and the tractor is towed alone. Otherwise the combination goes together. Which one depends on what the trailer carries and where the rig sits, and it is settled on the call.
A trailer on its own, with no tractor involved, is trailer towing.
Derates and locked brakes
An aftertreatment fault can drop a rig into a low-speed derate. A tow to a shop that can clear it beats crawling along the freeway in limp mode.
Locked spring brakes are caged so the tractor rolls. If a seized axle still keeps it from rolling, it is loaded rather than dragged. For a DOT-ordered or police tow, the agency sets the handling and the release process, and we coordinate the move.
Buses, coaches and the rest of the heavy-duty work are on heavy-duty towing.
Sound familiar?
Lost power on an I-94 shoulder. We hook it driveline-safe and tow it to your shop or dealer — no added miles on broken parts.
A tractor dies running bobtail. No trailer means the simplest hook — cage the brakes, lift the steer axle, tow clean.
Disabled-but-rolling, jackknifed, or off the road. We secure the scene, recover with a wrecker and rotator, and tow to the directed destination.
A blown trans, a dropped driveshaft, a seized rear end. We disconnect the driveline so the broken parts carry nothing.
An aftertreatment fault drops the rig to a 5-mph derate. We tow it to a shop that can clear it instead of crawling in limp mode.
Spring brakes locked or a seized axle. We cage the brakes or load it on a Landoll rather than drag it — no flat-spotted tires.
Running or not, we load it
A bobtail tractor is the simplest tow — we cage the air brakes, lift the steer axle on the correct adapters or disconnect the driveline, and tow it clean to the shop or dealer.
Call dispatch — (414) 279-5510We drop the trailer on its own gear and tow the tractor alone where it’s safe, or tow the combination — confirmed from what the trailer carries.
Call dispatch — (414) 279-5510Locked spring brakes are caged to roll free; a wreck or seized axle is recovered with a rotator or loaded on a Landoll instead of dragging it.
Call dispatch — (414) 279-5510Do you handle mine? Almost certainly.
Standard Class 8 day cabs, bobtail or coupled — underlift to the factory tow points, steer axle lifted on the correct adapters.
Heavier, longer sleeper tractors — towed driveline-safe on a heavy wrecker rated to the load, recovery rig if it’s down.
A tractor still on its trailer — we drop the trailer on its gear and tow the tractor alone where safe, or tow the combination.
Jackknifed, rolled, or off the road. Heavy wrecker and rotator recovery, or loaded on a Landoll if it won’t roll — never dragged on locked wheels.
What semi tractor towing covers
We tow a Class 8 tractor with method, not muscle — never dragged on its own driveline. We disconnect the driveline, cage the air brakes, and lift the steer axle on the correct adapters so the parts you'd repair carry nothing.
A picker, not a promise — the final truck and method are confirmed from the exact weight, what’s locked, and the road conditions on the call.
Secured, not dragged
We pull the driveshaft or use an axle-back lift so the rear axles and transmission never turn — the parts you’d repair carry nothing.
Spring brakes are released safely so the tractor rolls free under control — no flat-spotted tires from dragging it.
The steer axle is lifted with the right adapters and the underlift hooked to the factory tow points — never a strap around a bumper or a hook on a fuel tank.
A heavy wrecker for the tow, a rotator for the recovery, and a Landoll to load it if it can’t be lifted — the right rig for the job.
What it costs & why
A Greater Milwaukee tractor tow is quoted up front before we hook up — a bobtail day cab a few miles is the low end; a loaded sleeper recovered after a wreck and run cross-county is the high end. We show the factors and the rate holds.
The rate is hook-up plus per-loaded-mile, with recovery and standby itemized if they apply — quoted before we hook up, no lowball-then-add-on.
See my exact priceA light Class 7 and a heavy-spec Class 8 sleeper are different tows — the wrecker is rated to the load.
Billed hook-up plus per-loaded-mile, so a few miles to a Greater Milwaukee shop is far less than a cross-county run.
Pulling the driveline, caging locked brakes, or dropping a trailer is extra hands-on time, quoted up front.
A clean hook is one thing; a jackknife, rollover, or off-road recovery on a rotator runs higher — same rate day, night or weekend.
Our anti-damage process
Log the make, bobtail or coupled, whether it rolls, and the mile marker. We match the rig before a truck leaves Greater Milwaukee.
We position the wrecker to shield the scene and get the driver out of the traffic lane first.
Spring brakes are released so the tractor rolls free under control — no flat spots from dragging.
We pull the driveshaft or use an axle-back lift, then lift the steer axle on the correct adapters to the factory tow points.
To the shop, dealer, directed facility, or yard — with clean paperwork and a COI.
Why contractors call MKE
The driveshaft comes out or an axle-back lift goes under, so the transmission doesn’t turn.
Tractor with trailer from $450, plus loaded miles. Quoted before the hook-up.
Consolidated billing, one contact and a COI on file.
USDOT 4272551.
Semi-Truck Towing across Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
The driveline is disconnected first, or an axle-back lift is used, so the transmission and rear axles never turn. The air brakes are caged and the steer axle is lifted on the correct adapters.
Yes. With no trailer it is the simplest tractor tow: brakes caged, steer axle lifted or driveline disconnected, towed to the shop, dealer or yard you name.
A bobtail tractor starts at $350 and a tractor with its trailer at $450, plus loaded miles. Recovery work after a crash is itemized and quoted before it starts. The calculator shows the exact rate.
Yes. The agency sets the handling and the release process, and we coordinate the move with them.
Yes. Fleet and motor-club accounts get consolidated billing, one contact and a certificate of insurance on file.
Answers reviewed July 2026. Pricing model and hours are checked quarterly.
We cover Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. See the service area.
Need something else?
One call reaches a live dispatcher. Tell them bobtail or coupled, what failed and the mile marker, and you get the rate and an arrival estimate on the call.