The road moves the truck out of alignment
Interior roads take a beating from freeze and thaw, and surfaces that heave and crack are hard on a heavy unit's geometry. A truck that was aligned in spring has spent a season being knocked about by the surface it runs on.
The truck will not tell you. The tires will, and by then a set of steers is usually part way through a shortened life.
What alignment covers on a heavy unit
Not one adjustment but a relationship: the steer axle angles, the drive axles relative to the frame, and how the whole unit tracks. A drive axle sitting slightly out of square makes the truck run marginally sideways down a straight road, which costs rubber and fuel in equal measure.
When to book it
- New steer tires are going on. Align first, not after.
- Steer tires are wearing on one shoulder or feathering across the tread.
- The truck pulls, or the wheel sits off center on a straight road.
- Something hard has been hit: a frost heave at speed counts.
- Nobody can remember the last alignment.
What it is worth here
Three things, and the order matters in Alaska:
- Tread life, on tires that cost more to get here than almost anywhere in the network.
- Casings. Irregular wear can take a casing out of retread eligibility, and the nearest plant is in Portland, Oregon.
- Fuel, since a unit running slightly crabbed is dragging rubber for every mile.
Trailer alignment is not available in Alaska
No Purcell location in the state offers trailer alignment. A trailer that tracks crooked pulls at the tractor's drives continuously, so if the drive tire wear does not match what the tractor's own geometry explains, say so when you book. The store can tell you what is worth doing locally.
About this store
The Fairbanks store is a commercial location managed by Ron Hoffman, carrying seven tire categories, and offering 24-hour roadside assistance, fleet services, car and light truck alignment and tire and wheel balancing. It does no general vehicle repair.
The same service elsewhere in Alaska
- Heavy-Duty Truck Alignment in Anchorage, AK, (907) 276-7515.
- Heavy-Duty Truck Alignment in Wasilla, AK, (907) 376-4755.
See the national heavy-duty truck alignment page for all 40 locations.