How-to
Roadside Help Near Davis-Monthan in Tucson: Where to Stop and Who to Call
If your car fails near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, don't stop in a gate lane. Roll onto a side street or into a parking lot off Golf Links Road, Craycroft, Swan or Wilmot. Turn on your hazards. Then call for a jump start, a tire change, a lockout or a tow. Give the nearest cross street or gate name, so your driver finds you fast and safely.
Why is the area around the base a bad place to break down?
The base sits on the southeast side of Tucson, and roads wrap around it. Its gates are called Craycroft, Swan and North Wilmot. The Visitor Center sits outside the Craycroft gate. Cars at a gate wait in line to be checked, and people behind you can't see why you stopped.
A gate lane is not a shoulder. It is a security checkpoint. A dead car there blocks the line and puts you in a spot where guards and drivers expect you to keep moving. If you can still roll, get out of that lane before you stop.
The roads leading in are busy, too. Aviation Parkway, also called State Route 210, runs from downtown to the base. It ends at Golf Links Road, on the west edge of Davis-Monthan. East of Kino Parkway it has traffic lights and cross streets, so cars bunch up and then speed up again. A car stalled in a lane there gets passed close on both sides.
Where should you pull over near Davis-Monthan?
Pick the calmest flat spot you can reach. Here's the order to think in:
- A parking lot. A store, gas station or church lot is the best place to wait. You're off the road, and your driver can park beside you.
- A side street. Turn right onto a quiet neighborhood street off Golf Links or Craycroft. Park at the curb, not across a driveway.
- The far right edge of the road. Only if you can't reach a lot or a side street. Get as far right as the curb allows.
Don't stop in a turn lane, a median opening or the gate turnaround. Don't push the car across lanes by hand. If the car died in a live lane and won't move, turn on your hazards. Get everyone out on the curb side if it's safe, and stand well away from traffic. If anyone is hurt or you're stuck in traffic, call 911 first.
What if your car dies on the base itself?
Base rules are not the same as city streets. A civilian tow truck has to get through the gate like any visitor. Before you ask for a truck, call Gate Operations at 520-228-3200. Ask how an outside tow or roadside truck can reach you, and which gate to send it to.
Gate hours change on short notice, and the base says so. Don't guess which one is open. Ask when you call, then tell your dispatcher that exact gate name. Your driver will meet you where the base says to meet.
If the car can roll off base to a lot outside the gate, that's often the simplest fix. Your driver can then work in a normal parking lot.
Which kind of help do you need?
Tell the dispatcher what the car is doing, not what you think is wrong. That decides who comes and what the job costs.
- Click, click, nothing. The battery is likely flat. A jump start may be all you need.
- A tire went flat on Golf Links. If your spare is good, a flat tire change puts it on so you can drive.
- Keys locked inside in a base-side lot. A car lockout visit gets you back in.
- Smoke, grinding, a warning light, or it won't run after a jump. You need a car tow to a shop.
Light-duty only: cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups. Big trucks and RVs need a heavy-duty company.
Why do batteries quit so often on Tucson's southeast side?
Heat is hard on a battery. NOAA normals for Tucson International Airport show about 52 days a year at 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The average July high is 99.7 degrees.
A battery that worked fine all summer can give up on the first cool morning in fall. Summer heat does the damage, and the cool morning shows it. Watch for a slow crank, dim lights at idle, or a white crust on the terminals. Those are your warning signs before it leaves you in a lot on Craycroft.
How do you tell your driver exactly where you are?
Around the base, "by Davis-Monthan" covers miles of road. Be exact:
- The road you're on and the nearest cross street.
- Which way you were headed: east, west, north or south.
- The gate name, if you're near one: Craycroft, Swan or North Wilmot.
- The store or business name, if you're in a lot.
- Your car's color, make and model.
"Golf Links, westbound, just past Craycroft, in the gas station lot" is a spot a driver can find. "Near the base" is not. You can also drop a pin from your phone's map and text it.
How do you stay safe while you wait?
Stay out of the travel lanes. If the street is safe and you're on the curb side, wait off the road and away from the car. On a hot day, move to shade or into a store if one is close.
Arizona law helps a little. Under A.R.S. 28-775, drivers coming up on a stopped car with flashing lights must move over a lane when the road has two or more lanes their way. If they can't move over safely, they must slow down. Not every driver does it, so keep your distance anyway.
Dust storms hit the Tucson area too. The National Weather Service says that if dust closes in, pull off the pavement as far as you can. Stop, turn off your lights, set the parking brake and take your foot off the brake pedal. Before a long drive, check AZ 511 for closures.
How does Sentinel help you near the base?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company in Tucson does the job. Before we dispatch, we text you your price. That price is the most you pay. If the job changes, we text a new price first and you decide.
Then we check on you by text until the truck arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise. You get your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map. Your family can get your location by text too. For the rest of the metro, see our Tucson towing page.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Davis-Monthan Roadside Questions
Can a tow truck come onto Davis-Monthan to get my car?
An outside truck has to get through the gate like any visitor. Call Gate Operations at 520-228-3200 and ask how it can reach you. Then give your dispatcher the gate name they tell you.
My car died in the line at the Craycroft gate. What do I do?
Turn on your hazards and follow what the gate guards tell you. Stay with them until the lane is clear. Once you're out of the line, call for a jump or a tow.
Is it safe to wait on Golf Links Road for help?
Waiting in a lane is not safe. Roll into a lot or onto a side street if you can. If you can't, put on your hazards and wait well off the road on the curb side.
I just moved to Tucson on orders. Should I check my battery?
Yes. Tucson sees about 52 days a year at 100 degrees or more, and heat wears batteries down. A slow crank or dim lights mean it's time to have it tested.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: Davis-Monthan AFB, Newcomers and Gate Hours, A.R.S. 28-775, National Weather Service, dust storm safety, NOAA climate normals, Tucson, AZ 511.
