Let the tire records point to the problem trailers
A fleet with a few trailers can measure every one. A fleet with dozens, or one that grows every harvest, needs a way to decide which trailers to measure first. The tire records already contain the answer, if anybody looks.
An out-of-square trailer scrubs its tires sideways as it rolls. Over a season that shows up as tires that wear faster than the rest of the fleet, or wear unevenly from one side of the tread to the other. A trailer whose tires keep coming off early is very often a trailer that is not tracking straight.
A simple way to find them
Record by trailer number. Every tire replaced on a trailer goes on its record, with the date and how it wore.
Compare across the fleet. Most trailers of the same type on the same work should wear tires at roughly the same rate. Sort by tires replaced per trailer, or by mileage per tire if you track it.
Look at the outliers. The trailers at the top of the list are the first ones to measure. Look at the worn tires too: wear concentrated on one shoulder, or a feathered feel across the tread, points to alignment rather than load or pressure.
This turns trailer alignment from a guess, or from aligning everything on a calendar, into a targeted job on the units that are actually costing money.
Other reasons to check
After a hard strike against a curb, dock or ditch edge, after axle or suspension work, and when a used or leased trailer joins the fleet for the season.
At this store
A tractor pulled off line by its trailer wears its steer tires too, so heavy-duty truck alignment is worth doing at the same visit where it is due. Setting this up across many units is easier through a fleet account. The national trailer alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
About this store
The Yuma store runs seventeen services and is managed by Sean Quintanilla.
See the national trailer alignment page for all 36 locations.