Dispatch open now · 24/7/365
Emergency Fuel Delivery in Chicago and Suburbs
Running dry is embarrassing rather than serious, and it is fixable in about ten minutes once someone with a proper container reaches you. We bring enough petrol or diesel to get you to a station — normally two to three gallons — and we bring it in an approved container, which is the part that matters legally and practically.
- from $65 + fuel · Service call plus fuel at pump price, up to 3 gallons.
- 25–40 min city · 30–50 min suburbs
- Licensed & insured
The service call is $65 and the fuel is charged at pump price with no markup. That is deliberate: charging four dollars a litre to someone already having a bad day is how towing companies earn their reputation.
Included as standard
What we bring
Petrol or diesel, correctly labelled
Tell dispatch which one. Putting petrol in a diesel — or the reverse — turns a $65 problem into a fuel-system rebuild.
An approved transport container
Proper sealed containers with a spout that fits a modern capless filler neck. A random jerry can is both illegal to transport and a poor fit.
Two to three gallons
Enough to reach a station comfortably, not enough to fill your tank. Roadside fuel is a bridge, not a refuelling service.
A start check before we leave
We confirm the engine runs and stays running. If it does not, the problem was not the fuel and you need a tow instead.
Know before you call
When it is not actually an empty tank
- The gauge reads empty but the engine cut out abruptly at speed — more likely a fuel pump than an empty tank. Adding fuel will not start it.
- It ran out, you added fuel, and it cranks but will not fire — a diesel that has run completely dry usually needs bleeding, which is shop work.
- The gauge has been unreliable for weeks — a failing sender means you may have fuel and a gauge problem, or no fuel and no warning. Either way it needs diagnosis.
- You filled up recently and it died anyway — consider contaminated or wrong-grade fuel. Do not keep cranking; that pushes bad fuel further through the system.
- It starts and immediately dies each time — fuel delivery, filter or immobiliser. A can of petrol will not resolve any of them.
Step by step
How the call goes
- 1
Tell us petrol or diesel
And the vehicle. This is the one detail that absolutely cannot be got wrong.
- 2
Give a precise location
On an expressway, direction of travel and the last exit passed. In a lot, the nearest entrance and row.
- 3
Stay with the vehicle
Belted with hazards on if you are on a shoulder. Walking to a station along an expressway is dangerous and, on Illinois expressways, prohibited.
- 4
Fuel in, engine started
Ten minutes on scene. Drive straight to a station and fill properly — you have a bridge, not a tank.
Where people run out in Chicagoland
The predictable places are the long stretches without services: I-294 between exits, I-88 west of the suburbs, I-55 heading south-west, and the Skyway. Drivers watching a low-fuel light look for an exit, the exits are further apart than expected, and the tank wins. Those calls are all priority because a stopped car on a tollway shoulder is exposed.
In the city, the pattern is different — it is people who intended to fill up on the way home and got caught in traffic on the Kennedy or Lake Shore Drive instead. If you are stopped on LSD or an expressway, stay in the car. The shoulders are narrow, traffic is fast, and there is no safe place to stand while you wait.
Transparent rates
What a tow costs in Chicago and the suburbs
Starting rates for standard passenger vehicles. Your exact total is confirmed on the call, before a truck is dispatched. No after-hours, weekend or holiday surcharge.
| Service | Starting price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Local tow (hook-up) | $89 | First 5 miles, loading, strapping, unloading |
| Each additional mile | $4.50 | Charged pickup to drop-off only |
| Jump start | $65 | Boost + charging-system check |
| Lockout | $65 | Non-destructive entry, no damage |
| Tire change | $75 | Your spare fitted & torqued |
| Fuel delivery | $65 | Plus fuel at pump price, up to 3 gal |
| Winch-out / recovery | $110 | Single-line pull, up to 30 minutes |
| Heavy-duty | $350/hr | Portal to portal, 1-hour minimum |
Straight answers
Emergency Fuel Delivery — your questions
How much fuel do you bring?
Two to three gallons, which is enough to reach a station comfortably. We do not fill tanks at the roadside — you pay the $65 service call plus the fuel at pump price, then fill up properly at the next station.
Do you deliver diesel?
Yes, and you must tell dispatch it is a diesel when you call. Mixing fuel types is one of the few roadside mistakes that costs thousands, so we label and separate containers deliberately.
Can you deliver fuel on the tollway?
Yes, 24 hours. Note that on the tollway an authorised patrol may reach you first; if you have already called them, tell us so two trucks are not dispatched to the same car.
What if the car still won't start after fuel?
Then the tank was not the problem, and you are looking at a fuel pump, a filter or a diesel that needs bleeding. We will tow you from there, and the service call is credited against the tow.
Related
Often needed at the same time
Coverage
Emergency Fuel Delivery where you are
We run this service across the whole coverage area — Chicago and every suburb within about 40 miles of the Loop.
Need it now? Call and we roll.
Live dispatcher, honest ETA, price agreed before the truck leaves. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.