The part nobody talks about is what those calls cost the customer at 2am versus 2pm. Emergency pricing is where the real money lives in a lot of trades, and most people never see it because they only call when they're stuck. A plumber or electrician who answers the phone on a holiday can make a whole day's pay in an hour.

Ha, of course the dispatcher asked about your ride height and then the driver showed up acting like he's landing a plane on an aircraft carrier. Two inches of clearance is basically the car shipping boot camp, and half the trucks out there treat it like gospel even though every ramp is a different length and angle. In my experience the number is less about the ramp length and more about the breakover angle when they drive it up, so a longer ramp can help a low car, but if the truck only has one ramp you're at their mercy. Your Civic probably sits fine but the next guy with a lowered Miata is getting the flatbed surcharge whether he likes it or not. Take this with a grain of salt, but I'd measure it yourself before the next shipment instead of trusting the guy with the clipboard.