A roadside call from Boston Towing Service — jump-start, lockout, tire swap, or fuel drop — goes out on the same truck as a tow, Mon–Fri Open 24 hours, closed Sat–Sun, dispatched from Somerville. Local lockout jobs in the Boston market typically run $75–$225; the driver confirms the price on the phone before rolling.
A roadside call to Boston Towing Service goes to the same driver and truck as a tow — there's no separate dispatch queue. Jump-starts, lockouts, flat-tire swaps to the spare, and fuel drops run Mon–Fri Open 24 hours, closed Sat–Sun out of Somerville, and the price gets quoted over the phone before the truck leaves the yard.
Electric vehicles change the math. The 12-volt accessory battery in an EV can die and take a standard jump the same as a gas car's does, but if the high-voltage pack itself is the problem, there's nothing to jump roadside — the car has to go on a flatbed. EV tow jobs in the Boston market run $75–$275, well above a standard call, because of the flatbed and the extra handling an EV needs. The driver confirms which situation it is over the phone before dispatch, so there's no guessing which truck is coming.
Why do jump-start calls spike in the cold?
Cold weather is hard on a car battery before it's hard on anything else — cranking amps drop as the temperature does, right when the engine needs more of them to turn over. Boston winters bring that cold in stretches, and jump-start calls cluster in those weeks.
A battery that's been marginal since fall usually fails on the first hard freeze, not gradually — it holds just enough charge in October to start the car, then a week of hard cold finishes it off. That's why the jump-start volume tracks the cold snaps more than the calendar.
How far does a roadside truck travel from East Boston?
The shop sits at 9 New Washington St in Somerville, and roadside coverage runs out to 22 towns from there. Closer calls get a truck fastest, simply because there's one truck in one place at a time — if it's already out on a job when the next call comes in, the wait is longer, not because the area isn't covered. That queue order holds everywhere in the coverage footprint, not just close to the shop.
Does a tow truck change a flat tire?
Yes, if there's a spare in the trunk and the lug nuts aren't rusted solid — the driver swaps it curbside instead of loading the car. A shredded tire with no spare, or nuts that won't break loose, turns the call into a tow instead.
Can you jump-start an electric vehicle?
The 12-volt accessory battery in an EV takes a standard jump the same as a gas car's does. If the high-voltage traction battery itself is the problem, jumping won't do anything — that call needs a flatbed, not a jump pack.
What does a roadside call cost?
It depends on the job — a lockout in the Boston market typically runs $75–$225, while a straightforward jump or fuel drop tends to land lower. Boston Towing Service quotes the price on the phone before the truck leaves, so there's no surprise at the curb.