A truck bought used comes with someone else's alignment
An owner-operator buying a used tractor checks the engine hours, the paperwork and the tires. The alignment usually does not come up, and it is one of the few things about the truck that nobody can see.
Whatever the previous owner did is still built into it. A curb strike they never reported, a spring replaced without the axle being reset, a set of steer tires that were already wearing on one shoulder when the truck was sold. None of that shows on a test drive, because a driver adapts to a slight pull within miles.
The first set of tires the new owner buys is the one that pays for it.
Measure it in the first month
That makes the first weeks of ownership the right time for an alignment, before the new owner's own tires have taken the wear. It turns an unknown into a baseline: the truck is set to specification, and anything that shows up afterwards is the new owner's own history rather than the last owner's.
The same applies to a fleet that adds a used unit. Measuring it on arrival is cheaper than discovering its habits from the tire bill.
What to bring
Any records that came with the truck, the tires currently on it, and anything the driver has noticed about how it tracks. Uneven wear already showing on the steer tires is worth pointing out, because it says which direction the fault runs.
Do the trailer while it is here
A trailer running out of square pulls the tractor off line. Trailer alignment is at this address, and tire and wheel balancing covers a vibration that turns out not to be alignment. The national heavy-duty truck alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
This is the Commercial & Consumer listing, the Paducah store that handles trucks. The store opens at 7:00 AM, so an early drop-off gives the most of the working day.
About this store
The Paducah Commercial & Consumer store runs sixteen services and is managed by Austin Hays.
See the national heavy-duty truck alignment page for all 40 locations.