Alignment is what makes a tire decision measurable
A fleet that is unhappy with its tire mileage usually responds by changing tires. That is the wrong first move, and it is wrong for a reason worth spelling out.
Tire mileage on a misaligned unit is not a measurement of the tire. It is a measurement of the misalignment, which will produce poor figures whatever is fitted. Change the brand and the figures stay poor, so the fleet concludes the new tire is no better and tries another.
Meanwhile the thing actually consuming the rubber has not been touched.
Measure the geometry first. Correct what needs correcting. Then, and only then, are the mileage figures coming off your units telling you anything about the tires at all.
What gets measured
Steer axle angles, drive axle alignment, and the relationship between them. Where the readings point at a worn or bent component rather than an adjustment, you get told, because aligning around a worn part produces work that undoes itself.
Ask for the before and after figures. A unit that was badly out explains a lot about its tire history; one that was within specification tells you to look elsewhere.
The trailer is part of the measurement
A trailer that tracks crooked drags whatever is pulling it, and in a fleet that swaps trailers it spreads that wear across several tractors.
Trailer alignment is offered at the same store, and a fleet trying to understand its tire figures without measuring trailers has left the most confusing variable in place.
What it protects
Steer tire life, fuel, and the casing. A steer scrubbed on one shoulder will not pass at the plant, so the loss is the tire and its retread value together.
The national heavy-duty truck alignment page covers the symptoms and the occasions.
About this store
The Mabelvale store runs seventeen services, carries all nine Purcell tire categories, and is managed by Corey Germany.
See the national heavy-duty truck alignment page for all 40 locations.