What to tell a roadside repair dispatcher
A dispatcher can only send what you describe. Out here, where Brady and Gibbon are 85 miles apart, a crew that heads to the wrong side of the median or brings the wrong tire can lose most of a shift.
Pin down the spot
- Which way you were headed on I-80, and the nearest milepost
- Name of the rest area or fuel stop, and your row or the side of the lot
- If between towns, something visible: the Archway east of Kearney, a bridge, a crossroad
Describe the rig
- Year, make and engine of the tractor
- Dry van, reefer, flatbed, livestock or tanker
- Unit or VIN number when the provider requests it
Describe the failure
- The moment it started and what you heard or felt
- Lamps, messages and codes on the dash
- Safe to drive, limp only, or dead in place
Sort out the money
- Carrier and the name of whoever approves work
- PO number, fuel card or other payment
- Dollar cap set by the carrier, if there is one