Commercial Roadside Assistance for Heavy Duty Trucks: Understanding the Difference from Standard Plans

For commercial truck drivers and fleet owners, breakdowns are inevitable. A careful preventive maintenance plan and pre- and post-route inspections can help you address issues before they cause a breakdown, but sometimes the worst happens. When you’re stranded on the side of the highway, commercial roadside assistance for heavy duty trucks gets you safe and back out on the road faster.

Your truck manufacturer, insurance and warranty companies, and third-party repair networks all offer plans for roadside assistance. When choosing your plan and provider, you’ll need to consider cost, service availability, convenience, responsiveness, and repair quality. Learn more about roadside assistance so you can make informed decisions about the level of coverage you need.

How Roadside Assistance Provides Value to Truckers

Generally, commercial truckers experience roadside breakdowns about every 10,000 miles. The frequency can vary depending on factors like how often you’re driving on difficult terrain or whether areas you usually travel through often experience inclement weather. However, even if you drive on flat routes through mild conditions, you can’t predict and prevent every possible cause of a malfunction.

When they do happen, roadside breakdowns can be dangerous for you and other drivers and cause delays that push you off schedule. Semi-truck breakdown assistance saves the day with a quick tow or immediate repairs to get you off the shoulder and back on your way.

How Downtime Affects Commercial Truckers

There’s a reason that commercial truck drivers and fleet managers avoid downtime as much as possible — downtime gets in the way of on-time deliveries and makes your customers unhappy. When you make late deliveries, you risk damaging your business’s reputation and losing repeat business.

How Roadside Assistance Helps

Breakdowns inevitably cause some downtime, but roadside assistance can reduce the amount of time and money wasted. The benefits of commercial roadside assistance include minimizing downtime and increasing safety.

To start, consider that in a normal vehicle, a roadside issue like a flat tire is often a quick fix that the owner can handle on their own. When a truck gets a flat tire out on the road, the situation is a lot more complicated. Since it’s larger, a truck is more likely to block traffic or cause difficulty for passing motorists. Depending on which tire blew, the person changing it may also have to navigate the dangerous area between the truck and the road. The actual repair process itself also takes longer, delaying you for up to several hours.

In the worst-case scenarios, roadside commercial vehicle emergency services prove crucial. Complex scenarios like breakdowns with cargo, difficult mechanical failures, and multi-vehicle fleet emergencies require quick roadside response for solutions that protect your vehicle, your inventory, and every person involved.

Finally, roadside coverage also comes with expense-related benefits. It helps you pay for repairs in the event of an unexpected on-the-road malfunction. While parts and labor costs for these services can fluctuate from year to year, Precedence Research found that the money spent on each type of commercial truck roadside repair went up across categories between 2019 and 2023. A roadside assistance plan helps you handle the ever-changing and often-hefty costs associated with these repairs.

The Differences Between Commercial and Standard Roadside Assistance

Now that we know how it helps truck drivers, what are the different types of roadside assistance available? Generally, plans are divided into two types — standard and commercial. Standard plans were initially created for traditional vehicles like cars for personal use. While some companies have adapted their standard plans to cover commercial trucks, their coverage is usually narrower and less customized to truckers’ needs. On the other hand, specialized commercial roadside assistance is geared directly toward fleet managers and truck operators and the specific situations they’re likely to encounter.

6 Key Factors of Commercial Roadside Assistance Plans

If you’re in the market for commercial vehicle roadside assistance, first, consider your unique needs. If you often drive through less populated areas, you might prioritize finding a plan that covers the most locations. If you have a specialized type of truck, you’ll want to make sure your provider’s repair network is well-versed in those types

1. Service Availability

If you break down in the middle of the day, it might be easy to find a towing company and nearby shop willing to help. But what happens if you break down in the middle of the night? What about rush hour? Since breakdowns don’t often happen in ideal conditions, 24/7 truck roadside help means you won’t face bad circumstances alone.

2. Coverage Areas

Similarly, while you might get lucky enough to pull over in a safe area close to a repair shop, more often than not, you won’t. For those moments when you find yourself on the side of a particularly busy highway or in the middle of nowhere, nearby roadside help will prove invaluable. Pick a plan that’s executed by a wide ranging network of tow truck operators and mechanics for coverage no matter where you stop.

3. Types of Trucks Repaired

Medium- and heavy-duty truck roadside service can cover repairs for multiple types of commercial vehicles, including specialized ones. For example, diesel trucks needing roadside repair are often eligible for plans that quickly connect drivers with the right emergency repair services to keep the situation safe.

Other specialized vehicles, like refrigerated trailers (reefers) also require faster roadside assistance so their perishable inventory doesn’t spoil. A specialized roadside assistance plan will keep temperature-controlled freight like food and medication safe by servicing higher-risk breakdowns quickly.

4. Types of Repairs Offered

The terms of your specific roadside assistance plan depend on your provider and level of coverage. Commonly covered repairs include towing, replacing or repairing tires, jump-starting your battery, delivering fuel when you run out, getting into your truck if you’re locked out, and minor on-the-spot mechanical fixes.

When you’re shopping for plans, which types of repairs should you look out for? First, consider which type of roadside breakdowns are most likely. According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), brake issues are the most common mechanical problem in commercial vehicles, followed by tire issues. Electrical system and engine malfunctions can also leave truckers stranded on the side of the road.

Ultimately, ensuring the safety of you and your vehicle in the event of a roadside breakdown should be top priority. When compared to towing smaller vehicles, towing for commercial trucks can be much more dangerous. Before purchasing roadside assistance, make sure your plan includes dependable towing services from partners with the right equipment, proper vehicle stabilization techniques, and expert maneuverability skills.

You’ll also want roadside assistance to help with some of your more costly repairs so you’re not caught off guard by a sudden, huge expense. For example, tire repairs and replacements aren’t just frequent, they’re also expensive. Mid-sized and heavy duty truck tires themselves are costly, and when you add in the higher cost of roadside labor, your final bill can be frightening. Commercial roadside assistance plans help you cover these unexpected fees without draining your savings.

5. Response Times

Getting roadside assistance to your location quickly is essential for your safety. Faster response times also limit the amount of time and money your business loses during a breakdown. When you’re considering roadside assistance options, ask about the process for requesting help and average wait times. For a plan that gets you back out on the road faster, look for an easy-to-use, straightforward request system that quickly connects you to qualified tow companies and repair technicians.

6. Costs

The cost of commercial roadside assistance will probably play a major role in your decision process. Different types of plans carry different costs. Ultimately, you’ll want to balance the level of service your specific situation requires with related expenses.

Coverage for standard personal vehicles typically comes in several levels of plans and doesn’t apply to medium- or heavy-duty trucks or vehicles for commercial use. Owners/operators can explore commercial truck extended warranty or insurance plans, with costs depending on the type and size of truck, your mileage, and where and when you drive. For those managing multiple trucks, fleet roadside assistance comes with a lower bulk price per vehicle than obtaining a plan for a single truck. A high-level plan offers the most comprehensive coverage for the most expensive price, with added benefits like extended towing distances.

Is Commercial Roadside Assistance Right For You?

While getting roadside assistance may cost more up front, for many commercial fleet owners and truck operators, the extra expense is well worth it. Otherwise, you may end up on the side of the road with a vehicle issue that costs you precious time and money. Investing in specialized commercial roadside assistance means investing in your safety, success, and customer satisfaction. With the right help when you need it, you’ll be able to deliver as close to on time as possible even after a breakdown.

When choosing your provider, remember that assistance purchased from third-party companies that focus specifically on serving truck and fleet owners often encompasses more. When you purchase from the manufacturer or a third-party focused more on standard vehicle plans, you might get a generalized plan adapted to trucks rather than one specifically created for commercial vehicle owners’ needs.

America’s Trucking Warranty Provides Roadside Assistance No Matter Which Warranty You Choose

When you need a medium- or heavy-duty truck warranty, you’re looking for a partner to cover you in your worst moments on the job. At America’s Trucking Warranty, commercial roadside assistance for heavy duty trucks comes standard with every policy.

Unlike manufacturers, we cover your roadside repairs and getting your truck towed to your preferred shop, not only an “in-network” repair center. Made possible by our partnership with Roadside Masters, ATW’s roadside assistance has a reputation for responsiveness and high-quality roadside service in action. Get a commercial truck warranty quote to get started today so you’ll have the help you need when it matters most.