A toe set is not a full alignment
Ask two shops for a truck alignment and you may be buying two different jobs. One is a toe set: the front wheels are adjusted so they point straight ahead relative to each other, and the truck goes back out. The other is a full alignment, which measures every axle on the truck and how they relate to each other and to the frame.
The toe set is quicker, and it is not useless. What it cannot do is find a problem behind the steer axle.
Drive axle thrust. If a drive axle is not square to the frame, it pushes the truck slightly sideways. The driver steers against it without noticing, the steer tires wear as though the toe were wrong, and a shop that only sets toe will set it to compensate. The tires keep wearing.
Two drive axles that disagree. On a tandem, each axle can be square on its own and still not parallel to the other. They fight each other through every mile, and the drive tires show it.
Camber and caster. Whether these can be adjusted depends on the axle, but measuring them shows whether something is bent or worn.
What to ask when you book
Whether the truck will be measured axle by axle, or the front end only. Whether you will see the readings before and after. If anything could not be brought into range, what it was and why.
A full alignment on a tractor that has never had one often explains wear patterns that have been blamed on tires, drivers or roads for years.
Do the trailer too
A trailer running out of square pushes the tractor off line as well. Trailer alignment is offered here, and so is tire and wheel balancing for a vibration that is not alignment at all. The national heavy-duty truck alignment page covers when to align.
Other stores nearby
Springfield and Joplin also align trucks in Missouri.
About this store
The Kansas City store runs sixteen services and is managed by Richard Kerber.
See the national heavy-duty truck alignment page for all 40 locations.