The two parts of the bill
The first part is the dispatch fee, $19, which covers sending a technician to where your car is. It's added once per job, and it's not the cost of the work. The second part is the service price, which depends on the job: what's wrong and what it takes to fix it.
The service prices below don't include the dispatch fee. Add it once to get your total.
What each job costs
TRA's published service prices are below. The $19 dispatch fee is added to each one, once per job:
- Jump start: $49–$75. A semi truck or 18-wheeler is $140.
- Flat tire change, using the spare you already carry: from $75.
- Tire repair for a puncture in the tread: $54–$60.
- A stuck screw or nail removed and the tire made safe: $70.
- A tire supplied and installed: from $129.
- Vehicle lockout: from $50. Keys locked in the trunk: $120.
- Battery replacement, installed, for eligible vehicles and batteries: $239–$255.
The total, worked out
Add the dispatch fee once. A jump start comes to $68–$94 in all, and a battery replacement to $258–$274. A flat tire change is from $94 in all. Dispatch confirms your total when you request help, so you know what you're agreeing to.
Take a flat tire as an example. With a good spare in the car, the change is from $75, plus the $19 dispatch fee. If the tire can't be repaired and there's no spare, a replacement tire supplied and installed is from $129, plus the fee. It's the same flat tire with two different bills, and the difference is the spare.
What moves the number
Mostly, it's the job. A flat tire change is cheaper than a replacement tire, because the spare is already in the car. A tread puncture that can be repaired costs far less than a tire that can't be. A lockout where the keys are in the trunk is a longer job than one where they're on the seat.
Vehicle and parts matter too. A semi truck needs a heavier jump than a car. A battery's price follows the battery your vehicle takes and where it sits. Tire availability varies by size.
What to ask any provider
Prices you can compare are worth more than the lowest number on the phone. These aren't trick questions, just ones any honest provider can answer in a breath, and slow or shifting answers are information too:
- What's the total, with every fee included?
- Is there a minimum charge, or an added fee for the time of day, the distance or the type of vehicle?
- What does the price cover: the labor, the parts, the trip?
- What happens if the job can't be done on site?
Common questions
It's charged once per job. It covers the trip to where your car is, and it isn't charged a second time for the same job.
No. The service price is for the work, and the $19 dispatch fee is added once on top of it.
We don't tow, so there's no towing charge. If your car needs a tow, you'll need to call a tow company.
A repair to a tread puncture is $54–$60 and a replacement tire is from $129, each plus the $19 dispatch fee. Only a puncture in the tread can be repaired, so the choice isn't always yours.