Straight answers

Straight answers about Rig

Everything drivers, owner-operators, and fleets ask about Rig, answered plainly. Truck down right now? Chat with dispatch or call 1 (855) 744-2223.

What Rig is and how it works

What is Rig?
Rig is a nationwide network of mobile diesel mechanics, more than 6,000 across the lower 48, with live 24/7 dispatch. When a truck breaks down, the driver describes the problem once, by chat or one phone call, and nearby mechanics respond with competing price-and-ETA offers by text within minutes. Rig dispatches the work, verifies completion, and handles payment, which settles only after the job is done.
How does Rig work when my truck breaks down?
Three steps. One: tell Rig what happened: chat at bigrig.app or call 1 (855) 744-2223, any hour. Two: nearby mechanics reply with written offers with exact price and ETA, by text, typically within 5–10 minutes, and you pick one. Three: the mechanic comes to the truck, fixes it, and payment settles through Rig when the work is done. No phone-book roulette, no callbacks, no blank-check invoice.
Is Rig a repair shop?
No. Rig is the network and dispatch layer: the mechanics are independent local businesses who compete for your job. That is deliberate: competition keeps pricing honest, and Rig’s verification keeps quality visible. Every shop’s track record (completed jobs, driver ratings, on-time rate) is public on the Rig directory.
The value is simple: describe the problem once, get multiple offers, pick the best one. No single shop, and no single fleet maintenance vendor, has comparable coverage.
Is Rig legitimate? How do I know the mechanics are real?
Every stat Rig publishes traces to verified work: jobs dispatched, completed, and paid through the network, not reviews that can be bought or faked. Rig dispatched over 5,000 breakdowns last year, and each mechanic’s profile on the Rig directory shows their real completed-job count, driver thumbs-up percentage, and on-time rate.
Every mechanic also goes through onboarding before taking jobs: Rig verifies their past work, credentials, and the job types and skills they offer.

Money

How much does a mobile diesel mechanic cost through Rig?
Mechanics set their own prices and compete for the job, so you see the exact cost in writing, by text, before choosing anyone. Across the Rig network, the average ticket runs $600–$800 for most repairs; price varies with the repair, parts, and distance, which is exactly why competing offers beat calling one shop blind.
No quote games at the shoulder, and no surprise invoice after: any on-site additions for parts or labor are itemized and sent to you for approval before they land on the bill.
Does Rig charge drivers a fee?
There is no membership, no subscription requirement, and no fee to request help. Rig’s service fee is built into the written offer you see. The price you accept is the price you pay.
An optional subscription for drivers and fleets unlocks discounted pricing, but it is never required. Download the Rig Driver app or contact Rig fleet sales to learn more.
When do I pay, before or after the repair?
You pre-authorize the offer amount when you accept it, and final payment settles only when the work is complete. That protects both sides: the mechanic knows the funds are real before rolling, and you know the price up front and pay only when it’s fixed.
You never hand a card to a stranger at a truck stop or wire money to someone you found on a phone pole and can’t verify.
What payment methods does Rig accept?
All major credit cards plus EFS, WEX, and T-Chek fleet checks. Drivers, owner-operators, and fleets all pay the same way: through Rig, after the work is done.

Speed, coverage, and trust

How fast can Rig get a mechanic to me?
Offers typically arrive by text within 5–10 minutes of describing the problem. Arrival depends on where you are: across Rig’s busiest markets, average time from request to dispatched mechanic runs 12–18 minutes, with average arrival under an hour.
Every offer shows where the mechanic is, how far away, and an ETA. With the Rig apps’ real-time location tracking, you watch the mechanic get closer on a map, the same way you’d watch an Uber pickup.
Where does Rig operate?
Everywhere in the lower 48 states: major metros and the long corridors between them, with thousands of completed jobs across every major highway. Rig does not currently dispatch in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, or Mexico.
Is Rig available 24/7?
Yes: live dispatch around the clock, nights, weekends, and holidays. A breakdown at 3am gets the same minutes-to-offers booking as one at 3pm.
How are mechanics rated on Rig?
One blunt question to the driver after every completed, paid job: thumbs up or thumbs down? No essays, no star inflation, no anonymous reviews. Only people who actually had the work done can rate it, and the results are public on each shop’s directory profile.
What are the Rig awards?
Rig publishes annual regional awards (Readers’ Choice, Fastest Response, First-Visit Fix, Highest Driver Satisfaction, and more) ranking the best mobile diesel mechanics in major freight markets. Rankings come from verified job outcomes and driver votes, never paid placement. Browse every edition at the awards hub.
How do mechanics join the Rig network?
New mechanics join the Rig network every day; independent local mechanics in particular love it and recommend it to other mechanics. Control of your hours, higher pay than working for a shop, and a steady stream of job requests make it a strong set of tools for a mobile diesel mechanic.
Every mechanic goes through an onboarding process that verifies past work, credentials, and the job types and skills they want dispatched. Learn more at bigrig.app/shops, and see the mechanic and shop answers.
Can fleets use Rig?
Yes. Many fleets run on Rig. Fleet products range from simple tools for requesting service from the Rig network to deeper fleet integrations, including direct connections to TMS and other fleet systems. Learn more on the products page or contact Rig fleet sales.

What Rig does and doesn’t do

Does Rig do emergency roadside truck repair?
Yes. It’s the core of the network. Mobile mechanics come to the truck: shoulder, truck stop, dock, yard, or jobsite, 24/7.
Many jobs are completed entirely roadside. Rig’s dispatch tools let you send pictures and details up front, so many problems are diagnosed remotely, making it clear before anyone rolls what the price is and what can be done at the truck.
Does Rig do mobile tire service?
Yes. Tires are the single most-dispatched call in the network: blowouts, roadside tire changes, and many shops bring the replacement tire. Whether you have a spare or not, Rig can connect you with a tire mechanic to get it fixed quickly and at a fair price.
Does Rig do towing?
When a breakdown can’t be fixed roadside, Rig can dispatch or coordinate a tow, but the goal is usually to avoid one: most calls in the network are fixed at the truck.
Does Rig do trailer, reefer, and liftgate repair?
Yes. Trailer repair, reefer units, liftgates, landing gear, air lines and glad hands, lights and wiring: the trailer side of the call mix is dispatched every day. Providing details and photos during intake is the best way to get an accurate, fair estimate.
Does Rig work on gas (non-diesel) vehicles?
Rig is a diesel-first service for trucks and commercial equipment. Rig does not work on consumer gas cars or trucks; for a gas passenger vehicle, call a regular roadside service.
Two exceptions worth knowing: Rig dispatches RV work, and some RVs are gas-powered; and Rig does work on consumer diesel pickups such as a Ford Powerstroke, Ram Cummins, or Chevy Duramax.
Does Rig operate in Canada, Mexico, Alaska, or Hawaii?
Not yet. Rig dispatches across the lower 48 United States only.
Can I buy parts from Rig?
No. Mechanics bring the parts the job needs, and parts are itemized in the written offer you accept before anyone rolls. Sharing photos and VIN information during intake helps make sure the right parts and tools arrive the first time.
Can Rig do an engine overhaul or transmission rebuild roadside?
No, and nobody can: major teardowns need a bay. What a mobile mechanic does is diagnose it at the truck, get it drivable when that’s safe, and when it isn’t, make sure it’s towed once, to the right shop, instead of guessed at twice.
Many mechanics on Rig also run or work with a full shop, so the same mechanic who diagnoses at the shoulder can often make the right recommendation and arrangements for bay work.
Is Rig a membership, warranty, or motor club?
No. Rig is pay-per-job: you pay for the repair you approved, through Rig, when the work is done, unlike motor-club memberships that bill monthly whether you break down or not.
Rig does offer an optional subscription for drivers and fleets with discounted pricing, but it is never required. Download the Rig Driver app or contact Rig fleet sales to learn more.

Truck down right now? Chat with dispatch or call 1 (855) 744-2223. Offers by text in minutes, 24/7.