Employees in my company drive across the state all the time on business including at night. I used to have AAA for me but since I bought a new personal car with roadside assistance I dropped AAA. Most of my colleagues don’t have personal roadside programs either. What do other companies do to make sure their employees are covered in case of emergencies when traveling? Do they tell their employees to dial the state police for help, or do they provide a roadside assistance program that covers the company vehicles? If the latter, which ones work best?
Where I work, you take a rental car for company business within driving distance. You can take a personal car instead (and get reimbursed), but then you’re on your own if something like this happens.
Is it a company car??? or a personal car they use for work???
There’s a difference…
If it’s a company car…let the company get their own plan. If you have a breakdown…then call the company.
Sounds like it’s a personal car used for work. I don’t like AAA. I have road-size assistance through my insurance company. Costs me about $40/yr. Covers everything AAA does…but I can use ANY mechanic/tow company I want. I’m not stuck using the closest AAA tow service (which may be 100 miles away).
Most of the motor pool cars were under warranty so just have it towed to the nearest dealer and use the credit card to pay for it. Otherwise you are on your own unless you have your own motor club card. Guy I car pooled with was a PhD and walked 10 miles in the winter in northern Minnesota once when his pool car stalled. He was a stout farm boy fellow so could handle it. Didn’t have cell phones then.
Where I work, employees have a choice when taking a road trip. If they take a company car, we have roadside assistance available with a company similar to AAA. If they choose to take their own cars, they get reimbursed $0.445 per mile (which includes fuel), in which case they are on their own if they break down. A third alternative is to rent a car, and my employer has an agreement with a couple companies so insurance and roadside assistance are included.
Many employees where I work have a travel budget of $1,000 per year. If they use a company car, nothing comes out of the budget. Each company car has a fleet credit card that can only be used for fuel purchases. If an employee uses his own car or rents a car, the expense comes out of the travel budget. This gives employees incentive to use a company car.
A lot of insurance companies offer this as a free or paid ‘perk.’ Check it out. If you renew your AAA, they will tow or offer other assistance to any car you drive, as long as you have your card.
But if you’re driving a company car, or a rental for work, you shouldn’t have to pay or use your personal resources if something happens. Why not ask your company what the procedure is if you have a problem?
Check the insurance card in the vehicle ( it better be there ) it will state right on it which coverage is included.
Is roadside assistance one of them ? ( my State Farm has it. ) If not, tell your company about the importance of having it on each car’s insurance coverage.
Here’s another classic example of why laws need changed
to insure the DRIVER not just the car.
The driver could be insured with the liabilities and the roadside too.
The car would have collision and comprehensive plus the roadside if chosen.
Thanks to all for your comments. Employees drive company cars. My AAA used to cover me when I was in the company car but I canceled my personal coverage after purchasing a new personal car covered by the manufacturer for roadside service. No one at work was able to answer my question about what to do in an emergency. Senior management is looking into the issue. I thought there might be one option better than another. We are a small company, about a dozen employees who travel regularly in company cars. Sometimes we travel at night. Also we travel where we wouldn’t necessarily know where the dealership is. I have suggested that we at least put cards in each glove box with the cell number for the state police so we can call if we do have an emergency.
Personally, the cost for AAA is so low from a company / benefits vs hourly rate pay for any employee, I’d figure you have spent more company money researching this than spending the $80 a year per employee for the higher AAA coverage towing out to 100 miles… Not to mention other benefits like discounted hotel rates, travel books, travel agents etc…
It’s even cheaper to add just the roadside coverage as previous posters said from the car insurance. That said, as a small company, buying AAA for employees can be a cheap solution to your issue, a small perk for the employees to add loyalty and help in hiring, and can get you some cheaper negotiated rates for hotels etc that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to work out as a small company.
Makes sense! I am forwarding comments to senior management. I hope something can be done before the year is out (I had brought up the subject in 2011). We’ve been very lucky so far.
Your company must insure the company cars. Their auto insurer might offer roadside assistance at a low cost. If they do, check the specifics of the program and compare it to AAA.
Allstate gives me roadside assistance for free. I wish it included motorcycles.
Personally anyone who travels a lot should have a motor club. I have both Amoco and on my insurance. As I have said many times before, its not the money but its having someone to call late at night. The motor club gives you a single number to call and will find the nearest tow. Having it on you insurance only provides for reimbursement of the tow afterwards. The problem is knowing who to call and also getting them to come out. On Memorial Day weekend, no way would I have been able to get a guy to come and get me without the motor club.
If the only problem is knowing who to call, you don’t have to have a membership. I locked my keys in the car a long time ago, and although I didn’t have a AAA membership, AAA was willing to send out a locksmith anyway, and I paid the guy cash for getting me into my car. AAA will send someone out whether you have a membership or not.
I personally have AAA and if I were to break down in a company car I would call AAA and get towed , to a AAA shop during “working hours” or to the nearest decent hotel if “after hours”. I would then call the person who is in charge of travel and our company cars to get me a rental and tell her where the broken car was.
It may sound harsh, but I wouldn’t really care much about what happens to the car, just how I would be getting to where I needed to go and back home again.
Not to mention other benefits like discounted hotel rates, travel books, travel agents
I can only say that you’ve NEVER used those services. A GOOD travel agent can do much better then AAA. Those discounts are NOT really discounts. But just incentives to get you in the door. People see the word SALE…and they THINK they’re getting a deal.
The major drawbacks of using AAA is the number of approved AAA service providers near where you need them. Try getting a AAA service in Northern NH!! This guy who was at the camp site next to mine needed a tow. The closest AAA was in VT (about 4 hours away). He called them at noon…the AAA truck pulled in about 8pm (he had other calls before his).
And then there’s the roads AAA are not allowed to be on (like the NY thruway). Sorry…but NO AAA. You need to use a tow truck from one of the NY thruway service centers.