Say what is on the trailer
A roadside call usually starts with where the unit is and which tire has failed. One more detail changes how the call should be handled, and drivers often leave it out: what the unit is carrying.
Live animals. A trailer of cattle stopped on a shoulder is a welfare problem as well as a tire problem. Heat builds quickly in a stationary stock trailer, and the animals cannot wait the way freight can.
Perishable loads. Produce, feed with a deadline, or anything refrigerated. A reefer unit that is running buys time; one that is not, or a load on an open trailer in the sun, does not.
Hazardous materials. Placarded loads bring their own rules about where and how work can be done, and the technician needs to know before arriving.
Oversize or heavy equipment. A lowboy carrying a machine needs different handling and possibly different tires from a standard trailer.
None of these change the urgency of the tire itself. They change what the delay costs, which is exactly what the store needs to know when it is deciding how to respond.
Put it on the card
A short card in each cab with the roadside number and the five things to give on a call, the location, the direction of travel, the tire size and position, the load, and a number that will answer, removes the guesswork for a driver standing on a shoulder in the heat.
What is covered
Commercial units: tractors, trailers, straight trucks, farm trucks and equipment. Willcox carries all nine Purcell tire categories, including agricultural tires. Authorization is settled in advance on a fleet account, and a damaged wheel can go to wheel refurbishing here. The national roadside assistance page lists what any call needs.
Other roadside stores nearby
Tucson to the west and Casa Grande beyond it also run roadside assistance.
About this store
The Willcox store opens at 7:00 AM, Monday to Friday, closes at 5:00 PM, and is managed by Mark Laster.
See the national roadside assistance page for all 48 locations.