Broken Down on I-81 or Route 15? What to Do With an RV

Nobody plans this call. But if you spend enough time on I-81, I-83, Route 15, or the Turnpike with something big behind you, eventually you make it.

The first two minutes

Get as far right as you can. All the way off the pavement if the shoulder allows it, and further than feels necessary — highway traffic passing a rig at 70 creates real pull.

Hazards on. Everyone out of the RV and behind the guardrail, on the side away from traffic. Do not stand between your rig and the travel lane, and do not sit inside it. A stopped RV on a shoulder is a large stationary target.

Set out reflective triangles if you carry them. If you don't, buy a set — they belong in every RV.

Then call. On a limited-access highway, call 911 or state police first. They'll get traffic control moving and, on some stretches, they have to authorize the tow anyway.

Why RV towing is its own thing

A regular tow truck can't take your rig, and calling one wastes an hour you don't have on a shoulder.

Motorhomes are heavy, long, and often can't be flat-towed from the drive wheels without damaging the transmission. Fifth wheels need the right hitch equipment. Travel trailers are manageable but need a truck rated for the weight. Air suspension, low clearance, and 40-foot length all change the equipment required.

That's before anything to do with the house side. A rig with a slide stuck out cannot be towed until the room is in — which sometimes means someone has to come out and manually retract it before the tow can even start.

What to have ready when you call

It speeds everything up:

• Exact location — mile marker, exit number, or a dropped pin
• Which direction you're heading
• Year, make, model, and length
• Motorhome, travel trailer, or fifth wheel
• What happened, as best you can tell
• Whether the rig will roll — tires up, brakes free, slides in
• Where you want it taken

That last one matters. Sometimes it's home, sometimes our shop, sometimes the nearest safe lot while you sort out parts or insurance.

Sometimes you don't need a tow

We'd rather fix it where it sits. Tires, batteries, a dead converter, a stuck slide, a fuel or electrical issue — a lot of what strands people is a mobile service call, not a tow.

Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly which one you need. If a service truck solves it, that's cheaper and faster for both of us.

Where we run

We tow and provide mobile service across Central Pennsylvania and into Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia. Our shop is in Dillsburg, right in the middle of the Route 15 and I-83 corridor between Harrisburg, York, Carlisle, and Gettysburg.

Save the number in your phone now, before you need it.