A trailer standing in the sun is not resting
Trailers in a distribution operation spend a good share of their lives parked, and in this climate parked is not neutral.
Sunlight degrades rubber. A trailer sitting loaded in full sun through a summer has tires taking ultraviolet exposure and surface temperatures well above the air temperature, on the parts of the sidewall facing up and out. Over years that shows as sidewall cracking, which is a different failure from wear and is not what anybody is inspecting for.
The tires on the sunny side of a yard age faster than the ones on the shaded side, and nobody is tracking which is which.
What follows is practical rather than dramatic. Where there is shade, use it for the trailers that sit longest. Where there is not, inspect sidewalls specifically rather than only reading tread depth, because a trailer can have plenty of tread and tires that are near the end of their serviceable life.
Why that belongs on an alignment page
Because a trailer that has been standing is also a trailer nobody has been watching, and alignment is the other thing that goes unnoticed on an asset with no driver attached to it.
A trailer going back into service after a long stand is worth looking at properly once: sidewalls, pressures, and whether it still tracks straight. One inspection covers all three.
What gets measured
Axle alignment to the kingpin, the relationship between axles on a tandem or tri-axle, and the suspension and mounting hardware. The national trailer alignment page covers the signs worth looking for.
Heavy-duty truck alignment is at the same store, so a combination can be measured rather than one end of it.
About this store
The North Las Vegas store carries trailer tires and every other Purcell category, opens at 7:00 AM, and is managed by Brandon MacIntyre.
See the national trailer alignment page for all 36 locations.