The Auto Club Group opened a new facility in Pullman on Monday, expanding its tow truck operations in the Chicago area.
“Traffic volumes on the Chicago area’s roads continue to reach new highs, as does the number of roadside assistance calls AAA receives,” the group said in a press release. The company is the American Automobile Association’s second-largest club in North America with over 13 million members.
The facility has a new fleet of 30 trucks, in addition to the 22 trucks in the service vehicle garage at 613 N. Union Ave., which remains open.
“This fleet expansion will help us provide greater peace of mind to our members who are in or traveling through this critical region,” said Scott VerBracken, vice president of automotive services at ACG, in a statement.
About 40 people work at the Pullman location, which has been ramping up since mid-July ahead of Monday’s official opening. ACG is hiring technicians for the shop and plans to employ 65 people there, including tow truck drivers, dispatchers and office staff.
The Pullman fleet can help jump start batteries, repair flat tires, deliver fuel, assist with lockouts and tow vehicles to a club-owned repair facility or an approved auto repair shop. The location at 624 E. 111th St. also provides service vehicles with easy access to several highways and interstates in Illinois and northwest Indiana.
The opening of the ACG garage comes ahead of Labor Day weekend, which is expected to cap a summer of travel of all kinds, whether by road or air. AAA does not provide a full Labor Day travel forecast for Illinois, but called the entire summer travel season a “record-breaking blockbuster.”
The Pullman facility will host a free safety fair and community event on September 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair will feature vehicles from AAA, the Chicago Fire Department, the Illinois Department of Transportation and other companies.
