TowingBossPro Blog — Driver App & Routes

Roadside Calls in the Driver App: Jump Starts, Lockouts, Tire Changes, Fuel, Winch-Outs

Roadside calls are the quick ones. A jump start can be ten minutes on scene. A lockout can be five if you have the right tool and the customer has ID. Because they are quick, they are also the calls that tend to get handled loosely: a phone number scribbled on a hand, no record of what was done, no invoice until somebody remembers on Friday.

The prior article, Running Multiple Drivers and Trucks From One Driver App, was about the fleet. This one zooms in on the smallest calls in the day and why they deserve the same treatment as a tow.

Same List, Different Call

In TowingBossPro, roadside is its own category, covering jump starts, lockouts, tire changes, fuel delivery and winch-outs. Roadside calls sit on the same Waiting List and the same Scheduled list as tows, and they show up in the same driver app in order with everything else.

That is important for the dispatcher. A service truck running roadside calls between two tows is easy to see on the board, and a roadside call near a tow drop-off can be slotted right after it.

For the driver, it means one list for the whole day. No separate notepad for the small stuff.

Jump Starts and Lockouts

Jump starts and lockouts are usually fast, but the details still matter. For a jump start, the vehicle details tell the driver what they are walking up to: a compact car, a diesel pickup, a hybrid where the jump points are not where you would expect. Put any of that in the notes when the caller mentions it.

For lockouts, the office should note where the keys are (in the ignition, on the seat, in the trunk) and confirm the customer will have ID ready. Rules about proving ownership before opening a vehicle vary, so follow your company policy and check local requirements.

Both calls benefit from the on-the-way text. The customer stays near the vehicle, and on a lockout they are ready to show ID when the driver walks up.

Tire Changes and Fuel Delivery

A tire change starts with a question the office should ask on the phone: is there a spare, and is it inflated? Note it on the call along with whether the customer knows where the lug lock key is. If there is no usable spare, the call may become a tow, and dispatch would rather know that before sending a service truck.

Fuel delivery needs the fuel type written clearly on the call. A diesel truck that gets gas is a very expensive mistake. Put the fuel type in the notes and have the driver check the fuel door or the owner before pouring.

Before photos are worth taking on tire changes, especially of the wheel and the damaged tire. They answer the "my rim was not scratched before" conversation the same way they do on a tow.

Winch-Outs

Winch-outs sit somewhere between roadside and recovery. A car with two wheels in a ditch is roadside. A vehicle down an embankment is Accident and Recovery. The office should get enough detail on the phone to tell the difference: how far off the road, what it is stuck in, and whether anyone is hurt.

Access notes matter on winch-outs. Which side of the road, whether the truck can get a straight pull, whether the shoulder is soft. The driver reads that on the way and shows up with the right plan.

If the winch-out turns into a tow because the vehicle will not drive, the driver tells the office. The call can be updated with a drop-off address, and the customer gets the right invoice.

Closing Out Roadside Calls

Roadside calls finish with complete like any other call. That is the step that makes them ready to invoice. Small calls are where companies lose the most money to forgetting: ten jump starts that never got billed add up.

For customers with a card on file, the invoice can be charged without chasing anyone. For one-time stranded motorists, online payment from the invoice means they can pay from their phone right there on the shoulder. Sales tax is handled on the invoice where it applies.

For commercial accounts, like a fleet that calls you for flat tires on its vans, roadside calls land under the account with all its other calls and invoices.

Why Small Calls Deserve the App

Roadside calls build the relationships that turn into tows later. A customer you got back on the road in fifteen minutes, who got an on-the-way text and a clean receipt, is the customer who calls you when the transmission goes.

Treat them as real calls: in the app, on the list, with notes, photos where they help, and a complete tap at the end. For the full driver app picture, see the Tow Truck Driver App page.