RV Roadside Assistance

There are a record number of RVs on the road! However, there is NOT a record number of RV roadside assistance providers – what does this mean for you? Keep reading and we will break down what this means for current and future Rvers.

Providers Are Overwhelmed

Rvtravel.com recently reported: quote “Roadside assistance companies are stretched thin by huge growth in RVers and lack of available service centers.”

Now, we don’t need RV travel to tell us this. This summer, we experienced this situation firsthand. (You can see more about our “saga” here).

So what this could mean for you? Plus WHY is it crucial to know exactly what type of coverage you have for roadside assistance?

RV Roadside Assistance Lessons Learned

We own a class A Diesel pusher motorhome that is about 40 feet long. In the 3 years we’ve owned our rig, we’ve been towed twice. The first time we needed to be towed was just outside Benson, Arizona. Our engine lost a fan pulley and our RV overheated. (Video with the whole story). After that experience resulted in a very expensive tow bill (for only an 8-mile tow) we secured a secondary roadside service plan. 

Our RV Broke Down

This past summer, we had a breakdown in the Sturgis South Dakota area. Now this breakdown incident was documented on our channel in two videos. Kind of part 1 and part 2. This is because the whole ordeal lasted over 5 days. And there was so much that transpired during this time it took 2 videos to share the whole story. If you’ve not seen it, you can check out these two videos because some pretty miraculous things took place during this time.

What You Need To Know

Now there are two things you need to know right now if you are an RV’er or Van-lifer (or want to become one). And then keep reading as we share some tips for choosing a roadside assistance plan. 

RV Roadside Assistance Providers Overwhelmed

This is a direct quote from RV travel

“The large number of inexperienced new RVers also brings trouble to road help services. “It’s very frustrating to everyone when so many new RVers are having problems on their very first trip,” she said. “We are also seeing many more calls for technical assistance since many new RVers just don’t understand how their rigs work.” That problem is compounded by customers renting RVs from peer-to-peer rental companies. “They have zero experience with the RV and they are calling our help centers and adding to the very high call volumes.”

Costs Are Rising

And another quote: “Towing charges are going up with the demand for their services, and RVers experiencing breakdowns on their trips can likely expect more delays and more difficulty finding qualified service personnel to get their rigs back on the road.” 

Our Personal Experience with RV Roadside Assistance

Boy, can we attest to this! When we broke down, I called Good Sam Roadside the day before we needed to be towed. Luckily we were able to be towed into a campground by a good Samaritan with a big truck and a tow strap. And we did not need to be towed out of the campground until the next day. 

The next day came and the time window we were given for the two trucks to arrive came and went. I called the service provider we were told was dispatched to us to find out they were not coming. Not until the NEXT day. This was problematic as we had an appointment with a service center at 6 am the next day. We needed to be towed on SUNDAY since I had called for the tow on SATURDAY. We needed our RV to be in the parking lot for the service center/Cat dealer by 6 am Monday. And it was looking like that was NOT going to happen.

RV Roadside Is NOT On The Way

I called Good Sam back and asked to speak with a supervisor. I explained what had transpired and found out that the tow we needed had NOT been secured or even called for until the day we needed it instead of being arranged the day before. And then when calls were made from Good Sam to service providers, they called for ESTIMATES – not to secure service, but to get quotes. Between the time they got a quote from a service provider to the time they called back to give the go-ahead, the service provider had taken other jobs and calls. Leaving us high and dry.

Now, Good Sam FINALLY did get us the tow – about 6 hours after the window we were given. Thankfully we were “dead” in a campground, but can you imagine if we’d been on the side of the road?

What Others Have Said

We of course share our experiences on YouTube. After we posted this video the comments started coming in with people telling us about calling Good Sam for roadside service and having them NEVER show up in the first place!

4 Tips To Secure RV Roadside Assistance

So, what are some things you can do to make sure you are prepared if you need roadside assistance? 

Tip 1: Be the “squeaky wheel”.

We are told Good Sam will call around to try to get the best pricing before actually sending over the request to the provider. In our case, that meant the provider moved on to the next person in line and we went to the back of the line. Keep calling until you are guaranteed you’ve been secured a service provider. 

Tip 2: Speak with the service provider directly to confirm that they are coming to your location. 

Tip 3: Check with your insurance to see if you have roadside coverage

See If there are any max out-of-pocket amounts for towing (especially when it comes to Towing an RV). 

Tip 4: RV dealers are backed up with repairs.

Try a truck repair shop or trailer repair shop if you need to get a mechanical repair done on your Motorhome or Travel trailer. 

What Do You Think?

You’ll have to let us know in the comments about your experience with Roadside and if you’re happy with your roadside assistance company. You can always just drop us a line to say hello too!