Clore Automotive Emergency Roadside Kit Checklist: Jump Starters, Tire Sensors, Rooftop Tents, and GPS Trackers

Before you buy another piece of equipment for your service vehicle, run this checklist. I've used it to prep workshops and fleets for roadside callouts, event support, and late-night rescues. My experience is based on roughly 200 mobile service jobs in the upper Midwest—mostly 12V vehicles and light trucks. If you're running 500 vehicles across multiple states, your process will differ. But for most shops, garages, and regional fleets, this works.

Six steps. No fluff. The order matters because each step supports the one after it.

Step 1: Start with the right jump starter

The fastest way to lose a roadside customer is to show up with a jump starter that can't do the job. That's why the Clore Automotive Jump Starter JNC660 stays in our primary truck. It's a 1700 peak amp 12V unit, and I've used it on enough of the cars and light trucks we see that I don't second-guess it. According to UL Solutions (ul.com), UL 2743 is the safety standard that covers portable power packs. The JNC660 carries a UL 2743 listing, which means the safety testing is part of the spec, not an afterthought.

I've done the risk calculation with cheaper jump starters. The upside was saving about $100. The risk was standing next to a dead delivery van at 6 a.m. with a backup tool that won't start it. I kept asking myself: is $100 worth the bad phone call? The answer was no.

One warning: '1700 peak amps' is not a guarantee for every vehicle. A fully frozen Class 8 diesel is a different problem. But for the majority of 12V cars, SUVs, vans, and light trucks, the JNC660 is the unit I'd pick first.

Step 2: Assign a backup unit and stick to it

A single jump starter doesn't work if you're coordinating more than one truck. In our setup, the Clore Automotive PL6100 is the backup unit. It lives in the second truck, full-time, so nobody has to move the JNC660 between vehicles at the end of a shift. The exact specs matter less than the habit: every vehicle gets a named unit, and that unit stays there.

If you're a one-truck operation, don't skip this step entirely. A second unit means you're not dead in the water when the primary is being recharged after a long day. I've seen more than one shop lose a whole afternoon because the only jump starter was sitting on the charger in the back office.

Is the PL6100 the exact unit for your situation? Maybe not. My experience is based on our fleet and the mix of vehicles we see. If you mostly work with heavy trucks, you'll need a different class of equipment. But have a backup. That part is not optional.

Step 3: Put a tire sensor scan tool on the tire cart

Tire work is the quiet source of emergency callbacks. The fix is simple: use a tire sensor scan tool before you dismount the tire, not after. The tool reads sensor IDs, pressures, and battery status at 315 and 433 MHz—the two frequencies used by most TPMS systems. Two minutes before the tire is off beats twenty minutes after it's mounted.

I still kick myself for skipping this once. The tire went on, the light stayed on, and the customer came back within a week. If I'd used the scan tool first, the whole callback disappears. The time saved was five minutes. The cost of that mistake was a re-do and a grumpy customer.

One thing I've never fully understood is why shops treat TPMS tools as optional. My best guess is that they think of it as a diagnostic gadget instead of a safety check. It's both. If your service cart doesn't have one, add it before you need it.

Step 4: Have a hard shell rooftop tent setup procedure

If you're doing event support, remote work, or any job that can turn into an overnight stay, a hard shell rooftop tent setup procedure is a real part of the workflow. A hard shell tent is faster than a ground tent, keeps the team close to the vehicle, and frees up space inside the truck. The setup routine we use:

Park on level ground with enough clearance for the open shell. Release the latches, lift the lid, let the struts lock, and set the ladder on firm ground. Confirm the roof rack load rating is above the tent's weight plus the heaviest person who might sleep in it. That's it. The part people overlook is the load rating, not the tent setup.

I second-guessed the purchase for weeks. The tent is not cheap. It paid for itself after the third overnight event saved us three hotel rooms. But it only makes sense if you actually need to stay on site. If you don't, skip it.

Step 5: Choose a GPS tracker by how you'll monitor it

Every time I hear someone ask for the best car GPS tracker 2025 review, I say the same thing: the best unit is the one you'll actually monitor. Features matter, but monitoring habits matter more. A tracker with great reviews is worth less than one that sends an alert you check.

If you're asking 'what's the best car GPS tracker in 2025?' you're asking the wrong question. The right question is: 'which tracker will my team actually look at?'

In 2025, the specs I look for are 4G LTE, battery backup, and low alert latency. You can find devices that claim geofencing, but the useful question is how quickly the alert arrives. Honestly, I'm not sure why manufacturers don't publish latency numbers. My best guess is they'd rather you test it yourself. So do that.

Avoid the annual-review trap. The 'best' tracker is the one that fits the vehicles you run, the cellular coverage where you work, and the person responsible for watching the dashboard. Name that person before you install anything.

Step 6: Do a weekly charge-and-test round

Jump starters lose charge in cold weather. Tire scan tools have dead batteries. GPS trackers can draw power when installed wrong. The last step in the checklist is the one most people skip: a scheduled weekly check of every tool that has a battery.

We use a simple rotation. Friday afternoon, each truck's equipment comes off the vehicle in order: 1) jump starter, 2) backup unit, 3) TPMS scan tool, 4) any other battery-powered device. Check charge level, check for damage, put a date sticker on the unit. Recharge anything below full. That's the whole process.

The failure mode is not forgetting the checklist. It's deciding that one week can be skipped. After a long season, that one skip is exactly when the emergency call shows up.

Common Mistakes on Emergency Kits

The most common mistakes are not about choosing the wrong brand. They're about systems that fail between uses.

• Leaving a jump starter in a hot trunk all summer and expecting it to hold a charge.
• Using a TPMS scan tool that doesn't cover 315 and 433 MHz, or not using it before dismounting.
• Installing a GPS tracker with a constant power source instead of a fuse tap, which causes battery drain.
• Assuming a rooftop tent's rating is based on the vehicle roof, not the tent itself.

This checklist is not the final word. It's what works for me after enough roadside callouts to know which failures hurt the most. Start with the jump starter, assign a backup, scan the sensors before you mount, and don't skip the weekly charge test. Simple.