We have Trailguard: https://trailguard.org/what-we-do/
Personally, I’d double cover myself with roadside assistance from auto insurance company as well as US Rider. The roadside assistance isn’t that much to add onto your insurance policy and worth every penny - from simple lockouts (hello Christmas eve at 11pm) to flat tires. I’d use Roadside assistance for anything simple and US Rider for when I was towing.
Just as an FYI, changing a tire/flats can be tricky now as when I had a flat recently both Onstar and roadside assistance told me I had to have the car towed and that tire couldn’t be changed. Uh I was at my condo parking lot too.@#* SMH. I sent Onstar guy on his way and called USAA. Roadside ended up putting air in tire to get me to a tire place (this was on a Sunday). So I’m not sure if this was a Maryland specific thing or what. I blew off what OnStar told me and when USAA came, same story. Don’t know if anyone else has had this experience. I drive an SUV
What model SUV? I would like to check with my mechanic if this is BS or what.
I can’t see how this could be if they have to take tires off to check brakes etc. Does the car have a jack? Or does the owner’s manual have anything to say about chaining tires?
Enquiring minds are very interested.
I also recommend US Rider. I have had it for many years and have used it several times. I did have to strongly convince one service provider that, yes he would go in the front of the trailer even though the horses heads were right there because that’s where the spare was!
My car (Cadillac XT5) had a flat, I mean pancake flat tire and was in the stinking parking lot at my townhouse - so I was not even on the dang road. Car is new (which is annoying that a nail got in tire) & still under my Onstar trial - so I call OnStar and within an hour nice guy from the Caddy dealership takes a look at my flat and says we’re going to need to tow it. Im like HUH, (WTH?) and told him I’d never had an issue like this before and anytime I’d gotten a flat before someone just repairs it. Nope can’t do that gotta tow. WTH? Because many new cars (this is a 2017) don’t come w/ spares, he assumed I didn’t have a spare, I told him I had one but he was still pretty adamant about towing. Sent him packing and called USAA roadside assistance and that guy told me the same darn thing! nope, gotta tow. Again, I said normally when I have a flat the guys have either repaired it or changed it. So I guess I could’ve requested they change the tire…
Edited to add: Just looked up law - it’s definitely a Maryland law (dont’ know if just MD tho) and it’s repairing tire. MD law:
- MD HB 122 -- Prohibits an automotive repair facility from repairing a tire unless the facility demounts and removes the tire from the wheel and rim, performs a visual and tactile inspection of the tire's interior and exterior surfaces, and repairs specified damage to the tire in a specified manner. It was referred to an interim study.
Thanks. I will ask about spares.
That law must have been sponsored by tire shops to jack up business.
I was towing a friend’s horse to a new barn. When we arrived at the barn, she looks down and says, “Look, you have a nail in your tire.” We unloaded the horse uneventfully and since I had enough air pressure still in the tire to be driveable, she said, her trusty mechanic could fix it.
So I drive truck (F-250) and trailer to the mechanic’s shop where he jacks up the front end of the truck, pulls out the nail from the tire, plugs the hole, inflates the tire. And away we go.
So…enquiring minds will continue to enquire…as Alice said when she followed the rabbit, “Things get curiouser and curiouser.”
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The other good feature is that US Rider has a directory of vets all over the country. When you call and they ask if you and your animals are ok, they are actually prepared to do something if you say no.
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I had a very similar situation with AAA a few years back. We had the RVPlus coverage and I was assured by the agent that they would cover the vehicle but not the livestock. USRider was pretty new and we had been AAA members for many years without issue so we went with it. Truck refused to start at fuel stop with trailer hooked up, loaded. We got someone to get the horses and AAA KY send somebody to “jump” the truck. Didn’t work. So they decided to to it a Chevy dealer about six miles away. And they did not have a contractor who could to a dually with a 28 foot gooseneck. Remember that is was RV coverage, not livestock coverage. As soon as the horses are unloaded there was no difference between us and big travel trailer. Fortunately, the manager of this Flying J allowed us to have AAA tow just the truck and leave the trailer (blocking one of their pumps). The Chevy dealer quickly, and correctly, diagnosed the problem as corroded battery grounding cable. They replaced it within an hour or so and we able to rehook, pick up the horses, and and get home after midnight!!! Not a fun day. 
The next day a I called AAA and told them what happened. The net result was they refunded my fees and I decided to try U.S. Rider. We’ve only had to use them once but it worked.
AAA is fine for cars but, depending on the local club, can be a real problem for one ton duallys (even if they are not commercial).
G.
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Are you sure it is a Law?.. from what from reading what service such as AAA they will change the flat tire using your spare… specifically stated no spare/no change
Yabut…
If my story had happened in MD, it seems that according to the MD law, the local mechanic’s shop could not have plugged the tire and sent me on my way…like in 30 minutes.
How I read the rule is that the tire must be unmounted from the rim for internal inspection…which means having the specialized equipment typically found in a tire shop along with additional time and cost to unmount, remount and balance the tire.
I had AAA for years until I moved onto a dirt road (county highway). It was poorly maintained and AAA said nope, won’t touch it unless it’s on a paved surface. I said, “IT’s A COUNTY HIGHWAY.” They didn’t care.
Changed to US Rider that day. I love them. The response times from providers is much faster than AAA. I’ll never go back to AAA.
I mean…were you somehow incapable of helping the guy out who clearly did not know horses? You’re comfortable with them and he’s not…you couldn’t have pulled out the spare for him?
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Spare was attached to a bracket with a pneumatic wrench and I didnt have the strength to get it off. We stood in front of the horses heads and kept them from touching him. I felt sorry for the guy.
On the other hand, it seems lately that posters are so very quick to assume the worst about people. I shared a snippet of a story that every one else who heard it was sympathetic but amused by. I wasnt going to write a novel. It makes me hesitant to post these days and I’m sure I’m not the only one. That’s a shame because I’ve learned alot from many people on this board over the years.
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A good reason to know how to change or plug tires by yourself- saves you a whole lot of time and money and it’s really not hard at all.
HB122 in 2013 “It was referred to an interim study.”… does not appear to ever have been voted upon on the floor.of the House… was referred to Economic Matters but does not appear to have made it out of the committee
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD] [h=3]Status:[/h] [/TD]
[TD] [h=3]In the House - Referred to interim study by Economic Matters[/h] [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&stab=03&id=hb0122&tab=subject3&ys=2013RS
But even it this is a law passed in later legislative sessions as you have noted this does not prohibit a service such as AAA from changing the flat tire and replacing with your spare.
I posted the MD law- which is related to fixing/repairing a flat on the road, apparently changing the flat tire is OK… But if you don’t have a spare they’re not going to plug it if flat is due to a nail or something - vehicle has to be towed - this is in Maryland, I didn’t research any other states.
Another vote for USRider. I’ve used it when I was a passenger as well,as driving a truck and trailer.
We had AAA for many years, then had two flat tires a Sunday afternoon.
Called them after the second one, didn’t have a second spare.
AAA could not find anyone to help “because there was a big ballgame on TV and they could not get anyone”.
I made it home by airing the tire with the little cigarette lighter air compressor, driving until almost flat and airing it again and again and again until I got home, finally.
Cancelled AAA after that.
Have used USRider since then, but have not needed them, just hope they are better.
Guys, that law in MD is about inspecting used vehicles for resale, NOT just plugging a tire. I have driven 10s of thousands of miles in Maryland. A gas station will plug your leaky tire here just like anywhere else.
https://legiscan.com/MD/text/HB122/id/1631099/Maryland-2017-HB122-Chaptered.pdf
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:yes: I’ve lived in MD my whole life and while I’ve not used roadside tire repair for my personal vehicles, I have with company vehicles and heavy trucks/ machinery. I’ve never once had them say they had to tow it back to the shop. I’m pretty sure that’s just the people trying to get more money out of you
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