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The Highway Helper program provides free incident response and motorist assistance on Iowa’s major roadways. The program operates in the Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, and Quad Cities metro areas, with the primary goal of supporting a safe and efficient transportation system for travelers and emergency responders.
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Highway Helper operators can quickly assist stranded motorists by providing:
- Jump starts
- Tire changes
- Up to two gallons of fuel
- Transportation to a safe location
In addition, each Highway Helper truck is equipped to:
- Provide traffic control
- Assist with quick clearance at crash or incident scenes
- Support emergency responders
Hours of Operations
Highway Helper trucks patrol the freeway and interstate systems daily and may also be dispatched to Iowa DOT roadways in designated metro areas. Service hours include:
- Monday–Friday: 5:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
- Tow truck coverage (Des Moines only): 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Overnight coverage (Des Moines only): 1 truck patrolling Sunday night through Thursday morning, 9:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
- Saturday (Des Moines only): 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Some holidays and special events: As scheduled
The Iowa DOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) monitors roadways with traffic cameras and dispatches Highway Helper trucks as needed.
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