Everything on one live map
Every feature below is in the app today unless it is marked coming next.
The lot map
The main event. Your yard, drawn once, always in front of you.
Layout templates
Open lot, parking rows, back-to-back rows, parking stalls, open gravel, front and back lot, L-shaped lot, scrap yard, or a blank canvas.
Rows in bulk
Add a block of back-to-back rows or parking-lot stall pairs, running vertical or horizontal. Pick how many rows, cars per row and the drive aisle width. New rows line up beside the old ones and the lot grows to fit.
Back-to-back rows
Scrap-yard style double rows: two cars with their rear bumpers together, noses out to the aisles. Cars snap into the next slot and turn the right way when you drop them.
Special spots
Mark a spot for motorcycles, heavy trucks, police holds, evidence, high-value cars, ready for pickup or do not crush, or name your own. It shows with a star and you can search for it.
Any shape
Drag corner dots to match your fence line. Drag the small circle on an edge to add a corner. Remove a corner you do not need.
Real dimensions
Set width and depth in feet, see the length of every edge, a scale bar that updates as you zoom, the lot’s area in acres, and a north arrow.
Zones that mean something
Gates, offices and buildings, parking rows, back-to-back rows, stalls, special spots, piles, hold areas, work pads, and drive lanes. Drag, resize, rename, copy.
Vehicles drawn from above
Cars, SUVs, pickups, vans, motorcycles, trailers and heavy trucks, each with its own shape, in the real color or an exact shade you pick.
Pan and zoom
Pinch on a phone, scroll on a desktop. Fit the whole lot with one tap.
Finding vehicles
Answers in seconds, from the cab or the office.
Glow search
Type a VIN, plate, make, model, color or stock number. Matches glow, everything else fades, and the map moves to them.
Spots like A1 and B6
The lot is split into quiet sections. Every car carries a spot name that updates when it moves, and you can search by spot. Sections redraw themselves when the lot changes size.
Find by VIN
Type the whole VIN or just the last few characters to jump straight to the car.
Color the map your way
Switch between real car colors, days in the yard, or status. A row of chips counts what you are looking at.
Check-in and tracking
Capture what matters once, at the car.
Photo VIN reading
Snap the VIN plate on the dash, the door-jamb sticker or the title. Lot Helix reads it, checks it against the standard check digit, and fixes common misreads like 8 and B. No barcode needed.
Handling notes for drivers
Every vehicle has a Handling box: how to tow it (rolls, flatbed only, needs dollies or Go-Jaks, won't roll), where the keys are, and special instructions like AWD or steering locked. It is searchable, so typing flatbed lights up every car that needs one.
Blocked in or clear
Mark a car blocked in and note which cars are in the way. It shows a B on the map, searching blocked finds every boxed-in car, and Copy location gives another company the spot, access, keys and towing notes in one text.
True north on the map
Set which way north is once, by tapping the compass, using your phone's compass, or picking a side. The arrow points to real north on every phone.
Everything on one screen
Tap a vehicle and edit its details right there. Show it on the map, move it, rotate it, turn it around, take it off the map while it is in the shop, or mark it released.
Automatic vehicle details
A valid VIN fills in the year, make, model, trim, body and vehicle type from the free NHTSA database, so drivers rarely type anything.
Details that stick
Plate and state, year, make, model, color, keys with the vehicle, date in, weight for scrap, notes.
Photos and damage
Attach photos from the camera. Tap damage areas like front, rear, glass, or missing wheel.
Days in the yard
Rings and tags turn amber then red at the thresholds you set. The list is sorted oldest first.
Move and turn
Select a car, drag it anywhere, and spin it to any angle with the handle. Cars snap into stalls and rows and face the right way. Every move goes into the history.
Fee estimates
Tow fee, daily storage, and other charges, with per-vehicle overrides. The estimate fills in your invoice automatically.
Scrap yard parts and QR labels
Know what is on every car before the customer finishes asking.
Parts list per vehicle
Tap the parts a vehicle has from a built-in list, or add your own. Give each a price and a note, and mark it available, sold or damaged.
Parts finder
Search across the whole yard for a part, like alternator or driver door, and jump straight to the vehicle and its spot.
Search lights up the parts too
Typing a part name in the main search lights up every car that still has it on the map.
Printable QR labels
Print QR labels for one vehicle or the whole yard. Scan a label with any phone camera to open that vehicle.
Invoicing and payments
Bill the customer without leaving the lot.
Invoice from any vehicle
One tap turns a vehicle's tow fee, storage days and extra charges into an invoice. Edit the lines, add your own, and set tax and terms.
Record payments
Log cash, card, check or Zelle payments, full or partial. Balance and status (unpaid, partial, paid, overdue) update on their own.
Print, copy or save
Print a clean invoice or save it as a PDF from your browser, copy it as text, or save the file. Your business name, address and footer print at the top.
Service call invoices
A blank invoice for jobs that never touch the lot: light, medium and heavy-duty tows, winching and recovery, tire changes, lockouts, fuel delivery and jump starts. Tap the services, enter the loaded miles, and the charges fill in from your rate sheet. Add pickup and drop-off, truck and driver, who pays (customer, motor club, police, insurance) and a PO or call number. Tows can be checked straight into the lot.
Drivers start invoices
A driver at the release window can start the invoice and record the payment on their phone. It shows up on the owner's list right away, marked with who started it. Only owners can void.
Add to home screen
Drivers add Lot Helix to their home screen once and it opens full screen with its own icon, like an app.
Invoice list and CSV
See what is outstanding and what you collected this month, filter by status, and export every invoice to a CSV for your bookkeeper.
Tow and scrap workflows
Statuses that match how your yard actually works.
Tow and impound
In yard, held, police hold, notice sent, title applied, released. Release records with who took the vehicle and what was collected, then an invoice with one tap.
Scrap and salvage
Arrived, fluids drained, parts pulled, ready to crush, gone. Piles, rows, crusher and scale zones.
Both at once
Run a yard that does towing and scrapping and use the full set of statuses.
Team and yards
The right access for the right person.
Owner accounts
Owners and managers sign up and sign in on the website with an email and password.
Driver access codes
Drivers use a private access code of 10 or more letters and numbers on their phone. They can add, move, photograph, hold and start invoices that the owner sees right away. Owners can also change the layout, rates, team and remove vehicles.
Multiple yards
Add more yards, each with its own layout, rates and workflow, and switch between them from the top bar.
Reports and data
Your information stays yours.
Yard report
Counts, average days, what is past amber and red, estimated owed, and a count by section.
Export and backup
Download your vehicles as a CSV and take a full backup you can restore later.
Dark and light
Black and orange by default, with a light mode for bright days.
Coming next
Planned, not promised on a date.
Lot Helix in the App Store and Google PlayPlanned
A phone app for drivers with faster VIN reading right on the phone, offline use in the back lot, and alerts.
Manager loginsPlanned
Invite office staff by email with their own sign-in.
Impound letters and state formsPlanned
Owner notices and title paperwork filled in from the vehicle record, starting with Louisiana.
QuickBooks export and online card paymentsPlanned
Send invoices to your books and let customers pay by card.
Draw your lot. Find every car.
Start free while Lot Helix is in beta. Set up a yard in a few minutes, then try it on your phone.