WTF Towing is a locally owned, 24-hour towing and roadside assistance company in the Cary–Morrisville area of North Carolina, reached at (919) 230-4498. Its fleet is three trucks: a Ram 5500 wrecker with a Jerr-Dan wheel-lift and two Isuzu NRR rollback carriers with 21-foot Jerr-Dan beds.
We’ve already posted a photo tour of the trucks on real calls. This is the spec sheet: what each truck does, where it fits on Cary roads, and how to make sure the right one is sent to you.
The WTF Towing fleet at a glance
- The Ram 5500 wrecker. A four-door Ram 5500 chassis cab with dual rear wheels, a Jerr-Dan wheel-lift and a winch. It lifts one end of a vehicle and rolls it on the other two wheels.
- The two Isuzu NRR rollbacks. Low-cab-forward flatbed carriers, each with a 21-foot Jerr-Dan bed that tilts and slides to the ground and a winch at the head of the bed. They carry the whole vehicle, all four wheels off the road.
Ram and Isuzu build the trucks. Jerr-Dan builds the towing equipment, the part that actually touches your car.
Both chassis are Class 5, the federal weight class for trucks rated at 16,001 to 19,500 pounds fully loaded. For scale, the 5500 is the heaviest chassis cab Ram builds, two classes above a one-ton pickup.
That matters because full-size pickups, three-row SUVs and EVs weigh more than they look, and a truck built for that weight stops and steers the way it should with one on the back.
The class isn’t a lifting or carrying number; that depends on how each truck is equipped and how the load sits. Tell us the vehicle and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s a fit.
The Ram 5500 wrecker: the quick-hookup truck
The wheel-lift is a steel crossbar that slides under one end of the car, with arms that close around the tires. It holds the car by its tires, not the bumper or frame.
The driver walks around the car, lifts that end just clear of the road, straps the wheels to the lift, and checks that the wheels still on the ground roll free before pulling away.
What it’s built for:
- Fast hookups. On the shoulder of US-1 or I-40, a shorter hookup means less time standing next to traffic.
- Tight places. It’s shorter than a rollback and needs no room to slide out a bed. That suits the packed rows at Crossroads Plaza and Park West Village, apartment lots, and parking decks where the posted clearance allows.
- Recoveries. The winch pulls a car out of a ditch, a wet yard or off a curb while the truck stays on firm ground. That’s our winch-out service.
- Roadside calls. It carries the jacks and tools for tire changes, and it handles jump starts and lockouts.
It isn’t the truck for all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles, EVs and plug-in hybrids, lowered cars or long trips; those ride on a rollback. Towed with two wheels on the road, an all-wheel-drive car or an EV can damage its drivetrain, and a lowered car can scrape once one end is lifted.
The exception is a short move out of a tight spot, with dollies under the other end so no wheel turns on the pavement.
The two Isuzu NRR rollbacks: our flatbeds
The bed tilts and slides back until its tail rests on the ground. The driver winches the vehicle up by its tow point and ties it down at all four corners before the truck moves. Nothing on your car turns on the way to the shop.
The NRR is a low-cab-forward truck: the cab sits over the front axle instead of behind a long hood. More of the truck’s length goes to the bed, the driver sees the road right in front of the bumper, and it turns tighter than its length suggests. That’s how a 21-foot bed gets into Cary cul-de-sacs and driveways.
A 21-foot deck has room for a full-size crew-cab pickup. An F-150, an F-250 and a Chevy Avalanche have all ridden on these beds. So have a classic Mustang, a Porsche Cayenne and a lifted off-road SUV.
What goes on a rollback:
- All-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles.
- Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
- Lowered, sports and classic cars.
- Anything with crash damage, or a wheel that won’t roll or steer.
- Motorcycles, with wheel chocks and soft straps.
- Anything leaving town: long-distance towing to Charlotte, Greensboro or Wilmington always rides on a bed.
The rollbacks do most of our towing, and with two, one can be out on a long run while the other stays in Cary.
The trade-off is room. A rollback needs a straight run to slide its bed down and load, and many parking decks won’t take a truck this long and tall. There, the Ram makes the first move if the clearance allows.
Which truck comes to which call
Dispatch matches the truck to the vehicle and to the spot it’s sitting in. Typical pairings around town:
- Front-wheel-drive sedan dead on US-1 near Cary Parkway (Exit 99): the wrecker, for a fast hookup and a short tow to the shop of your choice.
- All-wheel-drive SUV that won’t start in a parking deck at Fenton or in downtown Cary: read us the clearance posted at the entrance. Where the wrecker fits, it brings the car out on the wheel-lift and dollies, and a rollback carries it from there.
- EV that won’t move in an RTP parking lot: a rollback, always.
- Pickup off the shoulder on Green Level Church Road or NC-55 after a rain: the wrecker’s winch if it can drive away afterward; a rollback, which winches it straight onto the bed, if it can’t.
The limits belong on the spec sheet too. We don’t run heavy-duty rigs, so tractor-trailers, loaded dump trucks and motor coaches aren’t ours to tow. Vans, box trucks and work trucks are case by case, by weight and load. Our guide to tow truck types and towing capacity explains the duty classes.
How to get the right truck sent the first time
- Get safe first. On US-1, I-40 or NC-540, hazards on and stay belted unless you can get well clear of traffic. If any part of the car is in a lane, call 911 first.
- Call (919) 230-4498 and say exactly where the car is. The road and direction, the nearest exit, or the store you’re parked by. In a parking deck, the level and the clearance posted at the entrance.
- Give the year, make, model and drivetrain. Say “all-wheel drive,” “four-wheel drive,” “electric” or “hybrid” up front. It decides the truck.
- Say how it sits. Lowered, lifted, crash-damaged, a wheel that won’t roll, or off the pavement.
- Say what still works. Does it start, shift into neutral and steer? Do you have the key or fob?
- Say where it’s going. Home, the shop of your choice, or out of town.
- Count the riders. Tell us how many people need a ride.
- For a van or work truck, read us the GVWR. It’s on the sticker in the driver’s door jamb. Say what’s loaded in it.
The misses that send the wrong truck:
- Calling it “a small SUV” and leaving out the all-wheel drive.
- Not mentioning the parking deck until the truck is at the entrance.
- Guessing at the weight of a loaded van or box truck.
What decides the price
We quote the job on the phone before the truck rolls. What moves the number:
- Which truck the job needs. A wheel-lift tow and a rollback tow are different jobs, and some calls need both trucks.
- Distance. How far the truck runs to reach you, and how far the vehicle is going.
- Where the vehicle sits. A level lot is quick. A low deck, a ditch or a car that won’t roll takes more rigging and time.
Our post on what drives the price of a tow in Cary covers the rest.
WTF Towing handles towing in Cary, NC, plus Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, New Hill, RTP and RDU Airport, with runs into Raleigh and Durham. Looking for a tow truck near you in Cary? These three are the trucks we run.
WTF Towing fleet questions
Will my full-size pickup fit on the rollback?
Usually. The decks are 21 feet long, and they’ve carried an F-150 and an F-250. Weight counts as much as length, so tell us if your truck is a long bed, a dually, lifted or loaded, and we’ll confirm the fit.
Why did a wrecker and a rollback both show up?
Some jobs need both. The wrecker gets a car out of a tight spot, and the rollback carries it when it’s all-wheel drive, electric or damaged. You’re quoted for the whole job up front.
How do I know the truck that shows up is really yours?
Look for a white truck with the green-and-black WTF Towing logo on the doors and our USDOT number on the side. We’re licensed and insured (USDOT 4241594, MC 1642674, $1,000,000 liability), and our reviews from Cary drivers are public.
Three trucks, one number, answered 24 hours a day. When your car makes you say WTF, you call WTF Towing: (919) 230-4498.
