Electronic logging device and fleet management platform Motive on Tuesday launched Motive Roadside Assistance, a 24/7/365 roadside support service with Roadzen’s National Automobile Club (NAC).
"Motive Roadside Assistance connects commercial drivers to more than 75,000 roadside assistance providers across the U.S. and Canada," according to the press release. "Motive customers will receive up to 20% discounts on the service, and an additional 5% discount when service is purchased using the Motive Card."
Motive promised service even in "remote, hard-to-reach locations." Motive's AI features are geared toward preventing crashes, but now the service wants to help in the unfortunate event of an accident, the service said.
With predatory towing a threat to trucking businesses, Overdrive asked what steps Motive or NAC take to vet the 75,000 service providers.
NAC director Andrew Henderson said the program "has a comprehensive approach to managing its Nationwide Network of Service Providers," which includes contract agreements, "a Certificate of Insurance, agreed-upon Service Levels, and Performance Expectations."
Motive and Henderson wouldn't get specific on what the performance expectations were, or if they had imposed maximum rate caps, policies against billing by weight, or other protections states and trucking organizations have recently sought against predatory towers.
Henderson did give a brief walkthrough of how the service works.
"When a roadside assistance or towing event is dispatched, the requestor receives a first SMS message that includes Service Provider details and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Upon ETA, NAC sends a service confirmation SMS," he said.
As far as rooting out predatory towers, Henderson said the platform features a review system. "On completed services, the consumer is asked to provide feedback regarding their Service Provider experience. This feedback is leveraged when making future volume assignments."
[Related: Trucking's best defense against predatory towing: A step-by-step guide]
Motive noted that the holidays represent a dangerous time of year for drivers, with "a 32% increase in accidents compared to the rest of December and the highest crash rate among all holidays," according to the company's press release. "In 2023, the week leading up to Christmas saw a 10% increase in speeding events, increasing risks for drivers and the need for emergency and roadside support. Additionally, winter weather exacerbates risks, with 65.5% of Christmas collisions occurring on wet or snowy roads."
Of course, collisions often result in nonconsensual tows, where police dispatch a towing company, and these situations often produce predatory invoicing, Overdrive reporting has found. Motive did not immediately respond to queries on how its service offering with NAC might apply in a police-ordered tow situation.
Every year, 5%-10% of NAC’s commercial vehicles require roadside assistance, and now Motive hopes to reduce downtime for its customers with the service offering.
“While our north star is to prevent collisions by detecting unsafe driving behavior, it is just as important we protect drivers and reduce risk when accidents do happen,” said Motive Chief Product Officer Jai Ranganathan. “Whether you need fast emergency support from first responders, or a quick roadside repair to get your driver back on the road, Motive’s complete safety solution quickly delivers the help customers need.”
The new service offers users the ability to request a variety of services, from towing to "jump starts, tire changes, fuel delivery, lock-out assistance, winching, and more," according to the release. Requests can be made from the Motive Driver App, "with an average call answer time under 20 seconds and service arrival time within 60 minutes."
Motive advertised "cost savings and no hidden fees," and told customers to expect savings of "15%-20% on roadside assistance costs, with additional discounts available for Motive Card users."
Motive customers have access to Roadside Assistance beginning December 16 by selecting “Roadside Assistance” within the Driver App. Customers pay only when they use the service and there are no ongoing monthly fees.
