How our tow trucks reach Simi Valley from Thousand Oaks
Simi Valley is about 10 miles from Thousand Oaks by road. Our trucks take the 23, the Moorpark Freeway, north until it turns east as the 118, or Madera Road, the arterial that ties the two cities together; which one depends on where you are and on the traffic, and that sets the arrival window we give you on the call.
Through the city the 118 is the Ronald Reagan Freeway, its name since December 1994, with exits from 22A and 22B at Madera Road through 23 First Street, 24 Erringer Road, 25 Sycamore Drive, 27 Tapo Canyon Road, 28 Stearns Street, 29 Yosemite and 30 Kuehner Drive to 32 Rocky Peak Road. Say which way you were headed and the last exit number you saw; the truck has to come up on your side of the freeway.
Night, weekend or holiday, the call runs the same way: four questions, one quote, and the truck leaves when you agree to it. The arrival window comes on the call, once we know which end of the valley you are in and what the 23 and the 118 are doing.
The 118, Santa Susana Pass and the hilltop lots: where Simi Valley calls start
East of Kuehner Drive the 118 climbs toward Santa Susana Pass, about 1,200 feet up on the Los Angeles County line, and crosses Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park into Chatsworth. Rocky Peak Road, exit 32, is the last way off on the Ventura County side, and a car that quits on the climb is a shoulder tow we find by that exit number.
The same stretch has trailhead parking. Hikers bound for Rocky Peak Park, 4,800 acres of the Santa Susana Mountains, park on the north side of the Rocky Peak Road off-ramp, or at the top of the pass, reached by Kuehner Drive where it becomes Santa Susana Pass Road. A car that sat there all day in the sun sends us dead-battery and locked-keys calls, and most end with a roadside visit at the trailhead, not a tow.
At the west end, the Reagan Library sits on its hilltop at 40 Presidential Drive. The lot is free, first come, first served; when it fills, visitors park along Presidential Drive and ride a shuttle up, and motor homes are sent there from the start. A car or SUV that will not start up there is ours; most motor homes are past a light-duty truck's rating, and we say so on the phone.
The west end is also where the Easy Fire started, near Easy Street and Madera Road at about 6 a.m. on October 30, 2019. It almost surrounded the library, burned 1,806 acres and closed the 23 between Thousand Oaks and Moorpark - our road to you. When a fire or a crash shuts a route, we come the way that is open, and the window moves with it.
Simi Valley Police, the CHP and getting a towed car back
Simi Valley has its own city police department, while Thousand Oaks contracts with the Ventura County Sheriff. The Simi Valley Police Department handles crashes and tows on city streets, and its dispatch line is the first call when a car has gone from a curb. On the 118 itself, crashes and freeway tows belong to the CHP's Moorpark Area, whose beat on the 118 reaches from SR 34 east to the Los Angeles County line.
- City streets
- Simi Valley Police Department, 3901 Alamo Street, (805) 583-6950
- The 118 freeway
- CHP Moorpark Area, 610 Spring Road, Moorpark, (805) 553-0800
- Abandoned and oversized vehicles
- SVPD Traffic Bureau, (805) 583-6921
- From Thousand Oaks
- about 10 miles by road
After a police tow, the department releases the car on proof of current registration and ownership, a valid driver's license or a driver who has one, and the City's administrative fee, in cash or by credit card only; the yard's storage is paid separately to the tow company. Someone collecting it for you needs a signed letter from you and a copy of your license. A Vehicle Code 14602.6 impound, for a driver with a suspended license or none, can keep the car for 30 days, and the notice gives you 10 days to ask for a post-storage hearing.
Simi Valley is strict about big vehicles at the curb. Under municipal code section 4-9.402, anything over 23 feet long, 7 feet wide or 8 feet high, and every trailer, needs a police permit to stay on a city street, beyond a resident's allowance of under 48 hours in front of the house; visitors get no grace period. Violators are cited, and the vehicle may be towed at the owner's expense under Vehicle Code 22651.
From a store or apartment lot, the law is statewide but the call is local: Vehicle Code 22658 makes the property owner who orders a tow notify the local traffic law enforcement agency within one hour of authorizing it - here, the police department - and a truck still on the property must release the car at once if the owner asks.
Wheel-lift, flatbed or the freeway patrol: the right truck in Simi Valley
Two-wheel-drive sedans and light pickups usually ride a wheel-lift. All-wheel-drive crossovers, four-wheel-drive trucks and electric cars go on a flatbed with every wheel off the pavement, and so does anything low, crash-damaged or unable to roll. We run light-duty trucks; a motor home, a large box truck or a heavy work truck is past that rating, and we say so before anyone waits.
Monday to Friday, in two commute windows - 6:30 to 9:30 and 2 to 6 - a Ventura County Freeway Service Patrol truck runs a 14.2-mile beat on the 118 from the 23 to Rocky Peak, and its tow ends at a safe spot off the freeway, never at your shop or your house. From that spot on, and at every other hour, the tow is private, and an emergency tow off the Ronald Reagan Freeway is one call to us.
Where the car goes is your decision: a shop in Simi Valley, the dealer, your driveway, or a mechanic back in Thousand Oaks. The miles from hook-up to drop-off are most of the price; how we price the run out to Simi Valley covers the rest, and the quote is one figure, given before the truck rolls.
Towing beyond Simi Valley: Moorpark, Chatsworth and the Conejo Valley
Simi Valley shares its freeway with Moorpark, where the 118 meets the 23, and the same trucks work Newbury Park, Westlake Village and Oak Park. Across the pass in Chatsworth, call anyway; if we can take it, we quote it by the mile. The rest of what we do is on the main Thousand Oaks Tow Truck page.
Frequently asked
How do I find out if my car was towed in Simi Valley?
Call the Simi Valley Police Department at (805) 583-6950; police-ordered tows are on record there, and a property owner who has a car towed from a private lot must notify the local police within one hour of authorizing it. For the release, bring proof of registration and ownership, a valid driver's license or a driver who has one, and the City's administrative fee in cash or by credit card.
Who handles a crash on the 118 in Simi Valley?
The CHP's Moorpark Area covers the 118 between SR 34 and the Los Angeles County line, so a crash on the freeway through Simi Valley is theirs, and a tow they order goes to the next company on the CHP rotation. On city streets, the Simi Valley Police Department takes the report. Unhurt and off the roadway, you can call Thousand Oaks Tow Truck yourself and choose where the car goes.
Can I leave an RV or a trailer on a Simi Valley street?
Only briefly, or with a permit. Simi Valley Municipal Code 4-9.402 covers any vehicle over 23 feet long, 7 feet wide or 8 feet high and every trailer: a resident may leave one in front of the house for less than 48 hours, and a longer stay or a visitor's rig needs a police permit of up to 10 consecutive days, six a year per residence. Without one it can be cited and towed at the owner's expense.
Will the Freeway Service Patrol help me on the 118?
Yes, but only in two weekday windows, 6:30 to 9:30 and 2 to 6: the Ventura County patrol runs the 118 between the 23 and Rocky Peak and offers a jump, a tire change, a gallon of fuel or a tow to a safe spot off the freeway. Its trucks do not deliver to repair shops or homes, and nights and weekends are ours.
How long does a tow truck take to reach Simi Valley?
That depends on where the truck is when you call and on the 23 and the 118, so Thousand Oaks Tow Truck gives the window on the call, not on a web page. Simi Valley is about 10 miles away by road, and the driver calls you when the truck is nearly there.