Scranton · Wilkes-Barre · NEPA · 50-mile radius
Jump Start Service Scranton, PA
Dead battery in a parking lot at 2 a.m.? Semi-truck that will not crank at a truck stop off I-81? Richardson Roadside Assistance rolls a real service truck to you cars, pickups, box trucks and Class 8 rigs with the right boosters, the right cables, and a technician who has done this a thousand times.
When your engine clicks and nothing happens, minutes matter
A dead battery is one of the most common reasons drivers get stranded in Pennsylvania and it almost always happens at the worst possible time. Freezing mornings in Tunkhannock. A late delivery run into Mount Pocono. A weekend Walmart trip in Wilkes-Barre where the interior light got left on. If the starter is silent, the dash flickers, or you only hear that fast clicking sound, you are dealing with a battery that no longer has enough cranking amps to fire the engine.
Richardson Roadside Assistance was built by Daniel J. Richardson a working roadside technician based out of 1516 W Gibson St in Scranton to give drivers and truckers in NEPA a straight-forward option: one number, a real person, a truck on the way, and a fair price that gets quoted before we roll. No app tax. No dispatcher in another state guessing at your location. We answer the phone, confirm the year, make and model, and send help.
About 80% of our work is heavy-duty semi-trucks, sleeper cabs, reefers, dumps and dry vans that park at the Pilot in Dupont, the TA in Bloomsburg, the Love’s in Milford and every rest area along I-80 and I-81. The other 20% is everyday cars, SUVs and pickups. The jump-start process is the same in spirit but different in execution, and we bring the equipment for both.
What a Richardson jump start actually looks like
A jump start is not just clamping cables and hoping. Done wrong, it can spike your ECU, weld a cable to a terminal, or leave you stranded again ten miles down the road. Here is the process we follow on every call.
1. Locate and verify
You call (570) 309-2516. We confirm your exact location, the vehicle, and any symptoms clicking, no dash lights, aftermarket alarm, recent battery replacement. That five-minute conversation saves an hour of guessing on scene.
2. Dispatch with the right gear
A car needs a 12V pack. A Peterbilt 579 with four Group 31 batteries needs a heavy-duty booster capable of 3,000+ cranking amps at 12V and 24V boost. Our trucks carry both, plus the correct clamp sizes for stud terminals.
3. Safe hook-up and diagnosis
We check voltage before and after connection, inspect for corrosion or a swollen case, and confirm the alternator is charging once the engine fires. That is how we know whether you can drive home or need a battery replacement now.
4. Honest next step
If the battery is toast, we tell you. We can install a new one on-site for most trucks and many cars, or tow you to a shop of your choice. No upsell theater.
Semi-truck jump starts are a different job and we specialize in them
Class 8 rigs and heavy equipment
Most roadside services in NEPA are set up for passenger cars. When their tech shows up to a Freightliner Cascadia with four dead batteries and a cold-soaked engine, a consumer jump pack is not going to do it. We run commercial boosters rated for diesel starts, carry cables long enough to reach batteries mounted behind the steps, and know how to isolate a bad cell so we are not pouring amps into a dead short. If you drive for a fleet, we can invoice directly and provide the paperwork your safety department needs.
Everyday cars, SUVs and pickups
For daily drivers, the risk is the opposite: too much power, applied in the wrong place, can fry sensitive electronics. Modern vehicles with start-stop systems, AGM batteries, or designated jump points under the hood require a specific procedure. We follow it. You get your car started without a new problem to fix tomorrow and if the battery is genuinely done, we will tell you before you drive away and get stuck again.
Where we jump start 50-mile radius from Scranton
We cover a 50-mile radius around our Scranton base, which puts most of Northeast Pennsylvania inside a same-hour response window. That includes:
- Scranton, PA
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Stroudsburg, PA
- Tunkhannock, PA
- Mount Pocono, PA
- New Milford, PA
We also help drivers stranded on I-81, I-80, I-84, I-476 (the NE Extension) and Route 6. If you are not sure whether you are in range, call. If you are outside 50 miles, we will still try to point you to someone reliable.
Why drivers and dispatchers keep our number saved
Truly 24/7
Not ‘we answer during business hours.’ A live line, every hour, including holidays and blizzards. Batteries fail on Christmas morning too.
One point of contact
You talk to the person dispatching your truck. No offshore call center, no bidding app, no ten-minute hold to explain your problem twice.
Heavy-duty ready
Trucks, trailers, RVs, buses, box trucks. If it has diesel batteries, we can boost it and we do it every day.
Fair, up-front pricing
You get the price before we start driving. No mystery invoices, no fuel surcharge surprises after the fact.
Owner-operated
Daniel runs the business. That means the standard of service does not slip on a night shift, because he is often the one on the night shift.
One-stop roadside
If a jump is not enough tire, fuel, winch-out, tow, mobile mechanic we handle it in the same visit instead of handing you off.
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Why Drivers Choose Richardson Roadside Assistance
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can you get to me?
Inside Scranton or Wilkes-Barre, most jump starts are reached in 20 to 45 minutes. Farther out Stroudsburg, New Milford, Mount Pocono figure 45 to 75 minutes depending on weather and traffic. We text you a live ETA the moment the truck rolls.
Do you jump start semi-trucks with multiple batteries?
Yes. That is the majority of what we do. Our service trucks carry commercial boosters that handle four-, six- and eight-battery setups on Class 8 rigs, sleeper cabs, refrigerated trailers and heavy equipment. Consumer jump packs will not do that job ours will.
What if my battery will not hold a charge after the boost?
We test right there. If the alternator is bad or the battery has a dead cell, we tell you and give you options: replace on-site (we stock and install common sizes), tow to a shop, or tow home. You decide.
How much does a jump start cost?
It depends on your location and vehicle type, but you get an exact quote on the phone before we dispatch. No hidden fees, no post-service surprises.
Do you take fleet accounts?
Yes. If you run trucks through NEPA regularly, we set up direct billing and provide the invoicing detail your back office needs.