Locked Out of a Truck on a Job or a Route

Trucks we see most

Full-size pickups from Ford, Chevy, GMC, Ram and Toyota are the bulk of it. Then cargo and sprinter-style vans used by contractors and couriers, box trucks on rental or delivery routes, and day cabs and sleeper cabs from the common heavy-truck makers. Each has its own keys and its own quirks, so the make and year help us bring the right blanks and equipment.

If you drive a fleet truck, tell us the company name. Some fleets have rules about who can authorize work, and knowing that in advance saves a phone tag on the curb.

Cab, cargo or both

Sometimes only the cab is locked and the cargo area is fine. Sometimes the rear doors or a side door are locked and the keys are in the cab. Tell us which doors you need opened and what is behind each one. If cargo doors use a padlock or a hasp that the company controls, the company may need to approve opening it, and we will ask you to get that in writing by text.

We open what you are authorized to open. We do not cut through company seals or locks that belong to a shipper.

When the keys are gone

A single truck key on a ring that got dropped at a site is a very common story. For most pickups and vans we can cut and program a new key or fob on site, so the truck drives away without a tow. For heavy trucks and some fleet setups, we will tell you up front whether it is something we can finish on site or whether it needs a dealer. Better to know before anybody drives out.

If the lost key might be found by someone who knows which truck it fits, ask about making the old key stop working too.

Keeping the day on schedule

Tell us your deadline when you text: a delivery window, a crew waiting at the next site, a load that has to be somewhere by noon. We give you a real arrival time, not a hopeful one, so you can call your customer or dispatcher with a straight answer. If a coworker can bring a spare faster than we can get there, we will say so.