Log which trailer each tractor pulled
A trailer out of alignment does its damage partly on the tractor in front of it. It pushes the combination slightly off line, and the tractor's steer tires wear to compensate. In a fleet where every tractor pulls the same trailer, that is easy to trace. In a fleet that drops and hooks, swaps trailers at a yard, or pulls customers' trailers, it is close to impossible without a record.
The tractor's steer wear gets blamed on the tractor. It gets aligned, the wear continues, and it gets aligned again. The trailer causing it moves on to the next tractor and starts the process there.
The record that finds it
It is simple, and most fleets already have the data without using it:
- Log the trailer number against the tractor on each trip or each day. Dispatch usually has it.
- When a tractor shows steer wear, look at which trailers it pulled during that period.
- Look for a trailer that keeps appearing in the histories of tractors with the same complaint.
That trailer goes on the rack first. A trailer that has been dragged around the fleet for months can account for steer tire costs across several units, and one alignment ends all of it.
Other signs on the trailer itself
Uneven wear across a trailer's own tires, wear that differs between its axles, and a trailer that visibly sits off line behind the tractor on a straight road. Any of those is worth a measurement regardless of the records.
Plan the visit
The store opens at 8:00 AM. Align the tractor at the same visit with heavy-duty truck alignment if it has been running behind the problem trailer, and set the record up through fleet services. The national trailer alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
Other stores nearby
Springfield and Springdale, AR also align trailers.
About this store
The Joplin store runs seventeen services and is managed by Travis Reeder.
See the national trailer alignment page for all 36 locations.