Ellison's Towing Comparative Summary

Ellison’s Towing has been towing vehicles throughout the San Francisco Peninsula since 1929. The company responds to requests for all types of roadside assistance, including jump starts, flat tires, off-road recovery and lock-outs. In addition to being AAA-certified, its services are utilized by nine different Bay Area police agencies, including the California Highway Patrol.

Cheri Ellison-Carroll, who owns Ellison’s Towing with her husband, Brent Carroll, credits her company’s success to the quality of its drivers. “We have the best drivers in the industry. Every new employee goes through an extensive screening process—we don’t settle for anyone but the best. All our drivers have to be certified and undergo full background checks and at least three weeks of training, which is more than just about anyone else in the industry.”

Ellison’s Towing performs onsite battery replacements, which alleviates the need for towing if a car’s battery fails while being operated. The company’s replacement batteries come with six-year warranties that are backed by AAA, so if they ever fail anywhere in the United States, they’ll be replaced for free. “That deal even extends to non-AAA members,” says Mrs. Ellison-Carroll.

With 10 tow trucks, five battery-replacement trucks and four roadside service vehicles, Ellison’s Towing’s response times are among the fastest in the industry. As an AAA towing service, the company is required to provide a 30-minute response time within its service area, but Mrs. Ellison-Carroll says it often responds faster than that. “Our drivers usually get to locations in under 20 minutes. When they arrive, they’re in uniform and driving spotless trucks.”

Ellison’s Towing also offers exotic vehicle transport services to customers who need extra security when traveling to car shows, rallies or races anywhere in California. “We recently transported a Ferrari worth $300,000,” says Mrs. Ellison-Carroll. “Our drivers are trained to carefully and respectfully handle valuable vehicles.” Ellison’s Towing has won AAA’s Gold Award for Service Provider of Excellence twice, once in 2004 and again in 2009. The coveted award is given to only one towing service in the United States each year. “We have a procedure in our office where we take down compliments offered by people who call in. We get 20 to 30 people a month—about one a day—calling to thank us for the services we provide,” says Mrs. Ellison-Carroll.