No-cost assistance
Free roadside assistance in
Tennessee: HELP.
TDOT HELP operators support stranded motorists and manage incidents on designated urban and rural interstate routes throughout Tennessee.
Official sources checked October 6, 2026HELP has no direct statewide request number. Operators patrol and are dispatched through traffic operations and public-safety channels. Outside HELP patrol areas, TDOT directs motorists to *THP (*847) for emergency aid; call 911 for immediate danger.
Designated routes around Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville plus more than 870 miles of rural interstates across TDOT's four regions.
Urban patrols operate seven days a week for 12 to 17 hours depending on location. Rural patrols operate 16 active hours daily, with overnight on-call and special-event coverage.
At a glance
Key facts about HELP
This record separates the program operator, request method and actual patrol coverage so motorists can see what the published service does—and what it does not promise.
- Official program
- Tennessee HELP Program
- Operating agency
- Tennessee Department of Transportation
- Published cost
- No-cost assistance
- Service area
- Designated routes around Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville plus more than 870 miles of rural interstates across TDOT's four regions.
- Request or dispatch route
- HELP has no direct statewide request number. Operators patrol and are dispatched through traffic operations and public-safety channels. Outside HELP patrol areas, TDOT directs motorists to *THP (*847) for emergency aid; call 911 for immediate danger.
- Information checked
- October 6, 2026
Operator and base
Who runs HELP
Tennessee Department of Transportation administers or operates this public motorist-assistance program. The service works through mobile patrol vehicles and traffic-management dispatch rather than as a repair shop that motorists visit.
The official program material reviewed for this page does not publish a public walk-in patrol base. Use the request or dispatch method above rather than traveling to an agency office for roadside help.
Patrol footprint
Where and when the service operates
Designated routes around Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville plus more than 870 miles of rural interstates across TDOT's four regions.
Urban patrols operate seven days a week for 12 to 17 hours depending on location. Rural patrols operate 16 active hours daily, with overnight on-call and special-event coverage.
The operating agency publishes coverage as a corridor, route or patrol-area description rather than a guaranteed pickup radius. A vehicle inside the described area is not guaranteed an available unit.
Published assistance
What HELP can provide
These services are summarized from the operating agency's current public information. The attending operator decides what is safe and available at the scene.
- Fuel or water for a disabled vehicle
- Minor roadside assistance
- First aid until emergency responders arrive
- Debris removal and traffic control
- Queue protection and incident-scene support
Before relying on it
Coverage and service limits
- There is no direct HELP phone line and assistance cannot be guaranteed.
- Major traffic incidents and safety hazards take priority over routine motorist assistance.
- Coverage is limited to designated patrol routes and operating conditions.
If you are stranded
What to do before help arrives
These steps combine the program's published request guidance with basic roadside-safety precautions. Conditions at the scene always take priority.
- 01
Move as far away from live traffic as safely possible and switch on the vehicle's hazard lights.
- 02
Use the published request method for this program: HELP has no direct statewide request number. Operators patrol and are dispatched through traffic operations and public-safety channels. Outside HELP patrol areas, TDOT directs motorists to *THP (*847) for emergency aid; call 911 for immediate danger.
- 03
Call 911 for a crash, injury, fire, vehicle in a live lane or any other immediate danger.
Primary-source record
Check the operating agency
Routes, hours and program rules can change. Use the official sources below for the latest operating information.
