MADISON, Wis. — In such extreme cold, Wisconsin auto shops and tow companies have been swamped.

At Capitol Tire & Service, customers canceled their appointments during last week’s snowstorm. On Monday, they were catching up. Plus, more drivers are having trouble because of the cold.

As cars came in, owner Bert Fuller checked their batteries. That’s not always part of the routine, but in this weather, he said it’s important information to know. He said it’s best to keep an eye on that before the extreme cold, but doing it now can’t hurt.

“Taking care of the vehicle, and making sure the battery is in good shape beforehand, is probably best-case scenario,” Fuller said.

He said tire pressure is the other big thing to keep an eye on.

When asked whether drivers should start their cars regularly during subzero temperatures, he instead recommended going for a drive.

“Getting your vehicle driven a couple times a week is necessary [in this cold],” Fuller said.

Tow companies are busy, too. Rod Timmerman owns Liberty Towing and brought his son Colin to work with him on Monday.

“It’s been insane, as fast as we can go,” Timmerman said. “The phones are ringing, the dispatchers can’t keep up. There are four dispatchers in there answering phones, and they can’t keep up with demand.”

A few of his trucks can tow big equipment, and those have been needed.

“All of our heavy-duty trucks are backed up nonstop,” Timmerman said. “Trucks are gelling up, the diesel fuel is gelling up.”

The roads haven’t been safe for tow truck drivers, either. Timmerman said he wants to see more people practice safe driving around tow trucks.

“We had one of our trucks hit in the last snowstorm while somebody was going too fast for conditions, couldn’t stop, hit the back of our truck,” he said. “We’re on the side of the road, we’re laying on the highways, we’re laying underneath trucks, we’re rigging stuff up… move over and slow down.”