Align after the work, not before it
The most useful time to align a truck is often straight after something else has been done to it. Front-end and suspension work moves parts that the alignment depends on, and an alignment that was correct before the repair may not be correct after it.
The usual moments:
After steering or front-end parts are replaced. Tie rod ends, drag links, kingpins and steering components all set or affect the geometry. Replacing them without aligning afterwards leaves it to chance.
After suspension work. Springs, bushings, torque rods and air suspension components affect where the axles sit. A drive axle that has moved slightly is enough to make the whole truck track off line.
When new steer tires go on. A new pair of steer tires is a significant cost, and fitting them to a truck that is out of alignment starts wearing them incorrectly from the first mile.
After an impact. A curb, a pothole or a dock hit hard enough to be noticed is hard enough to check.
Ask for the readings
An alignment produces measurements, before and after. Ask for them. The before readings show what was wrong and by how much, which tells you whether something is moving out of spec on a pattern. The after readings are the record that the work was done and what it was set to.
Kept on file by unit, they turn alignment from a one-off job into something you can track.
Do the trailer too
A trailer running out of line pushes the tractor with it. Trailer alignment is at this store, and so is tire and wheel balancing for a vibration that is not alignment at all. The national heavy-duty truck alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
Other stores nearby
In Salt Lake City, the Commercial & Consumer store and the Truck Tire Center also align trucks.
About this store
The Orem store runs eighteen services and is managed by Travis Olsen.
See the national heavy-duty truck alignment page for all 40 locations.