Get off the interstate if you still can
A parking lot is the best place to break down. If the truck is losing power, lighting up the dash, or making a sound it didn’t make an hour ago, use what it has left to reach somewhere safe: an exit ramp, a truck stop, a wide shoulder, or a yard.
- Signal early, slow down gradually, and get as far right as you can.
- Avoid stopping on a bridge, a ramp, inside an interchange, or just past a curve or hill where drivers can’t see you.
- Don’t park over tall, dry grass. A hot exhaust or DPF can start a grass fire — a real risk in a dry Arkansas August.
- If a red stop-engine lamp, low oil pressure, or high coolant temperature warning comes on, stop as soon as it’s safe and shut the engine off.
If the truck dies in a travel lane and won’t move, turn on your hazards and call 911 first.
Hazards on, triangles out
Federal rules (49 CFR 392.22) require the driver of a stopped commercial vehicle to turn on the hazard flashers immediately and leave them on until the warning devices are placed. Triangles have to go out as soon as possible, and no later than 10 minutes after stopping. Put on a high-visibility vest before walking along the truck.
Where the three triangles go depends on the road:
| Road type | Triangle placement |
|---|---|
| Two-lane, two-way road | One about 10 feet (4 paces) from the truck on the traffic side, one about 100 feet (40 paces) behind, and one about 100 feet ahead |
| Divided highway or one-way road | All three behind the truck, facing oncoming traffic: roughly 10, 100, and 200 feet (4, 40, and 80 paces) |
| Hill, curve, or other obstruction | Move the approach-side warning farther back — 100 to 500 feet — so drivers see it in time |
On the curving ramps around the North Little Rock and south Little Rock interchanges, put that last triangle farther back than you think you need to.
Call, with these answers ready
Once you and the truck are as safe as you can get, call. If you drive for a carrier, follow its breakdown procedure first — many fleets want you to call their breakdown line, which can then approve a local mechanic.
These details are the difference between a one-trip repair and a wasted trip:
- Exact location. Interstate, direction, and nearest exit or mile marker — or the truck stop, yard, or business name. A dropped map pin helps.
- The truck. Year, make, model, and engine. Trailer type if the trouble is on the trailer.
- Symptoms. Warning lights and codes, what happened right before, and anything you heard, saw, or smelled.
- Current condition. Will it start? Is it derated? Are the brakes locked? Is anything leaking?
- Load. Loaded or empty, hazmat class if placarded, and reefer setpoint if it applies.
- Contact. A callback number for whoever is with the truck.
Around Little Rock, call Little Rock Mobile Diesel at (501) 263-2565 — dispatch answers 24 hours a day.
Wait somewhere safe
- Get away from traffic. If it’s safe, wait behind a guardrail or well off the road on the side away from traffic. Trucks on shoulders get hit.
- Never stand between the truck and traffic, or directly behind the trailer.
- Handle the heat. On a July afternoon the heat index on an Arkansas shoulder can pass 105°F. Drink water, find shade, and don’t sit in a cab with no A/C.
- Watch for fire. Smoke, a burning smell, or leaking fuel means get away from the truck and call 911.
- Skip roadside repairs next to a live lane. Leave that to a mechanic with lights and equipment.
When the mechanic arrives
Tell the mechanic what you told dispatch, plus anything that’s changed since. Have keys, paperwork, and gate or yard access info ready. Before you roll, ask what was found, what was fixed, and whether anything still needs a shop soon. Keep the itemized invoice with your maintenance records.
Little Rock–area tips
- Around the I-30/I-40 interchange in North Little Rock, shoulders are short and construction is ongoing. If you can reach an exit — or the Galloway truck stops at I-40 Exit 161 — do it.
- Read the exit number off the sign. I-30, I-40, I-430, I-440, I-530, I-630, and I-57 all number their own exits, and I-57 restarts at 1 north of I-40.
- “67/167” is now I-57. Either name works, but give the exit number you see.
- In summer, watch the temperature gauge in stop-and-go traffic on I-630 and I-30. See our heat, storms, and ice guide.
For general information only. This guide is written for drivers and dispatchers working in and around Little Rock and Central Arkansas. Regulations change and every truck is different — follow your carrier's procedures, current FMCSA rules, and instructions from the Arkansas Highway Police, Arkansas State Police, or any officer on scene.