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Alignments are a well-known maintenance item for light-duty and passenger vehicles, but it wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that wheel alignments haven't caught on with you and your heavy-duty truck or fleet. Based on industry insights, alignments should be a part of your tractor trailer maintenance plan (leading tire equipment makers estimate that as many as 70% of commercial vehicles need an alignment). When you think about the cost of tires and how many miles a heavy-duty vehicle goes in a day, it seems strange that alignments for big rigs and other heavy vehicles aren't more popular with fleet managers and owner operators.
So let's take a look at why heavy-duty alignments haven't been as well-received with the heavy-duty industry historically, how the service has evolved over time, and why heavy-duty alignments deserve your consideration today with a look at benefits and ROI (and why you can get an HD truck alignment at Commercial Trucks Sales and Service in Salt Lake City, Utah).
In the past, the equipment available for heavy-duty alignments wasn't as good as what's available now, and some of the issues associated with that, namely time and labor concerns, have stuck around despite changes.
The downtime associated with alignments back in the day has played into their historical unpopularity with the commercial industry. Time is money, and taking a truck out of commission for an alignment simply wasn't appealing. Fleet operators had to balance the benefits of having the alignment done against the cost of the vehicle being off the road while factoring in the cost of the service. In an era where immediate profit overshadowed long-term maintenance strategies, there was a tendency to avoid HD alignments.
There also wasn't as much awareness about the long-term benefits of heavy-duty alignments in the past. The immediate consequences of misalignment, such as uneven tire wear or slightly reduced fuel efficiency, were overlooked or deemed acceptable risks. Without a clear, immediate impact on operations, the incentive to invest in alignments for heavy-duty vehicles was low. The broader implications of misalignment—increased maintenance costs, reduced safety, and greater environmental impact—were also not as widely recognized or valued as today.
Similarly, there was a cultural and industry mindset focused more on reactive truck maintenance vs proactive care at the time. This philosophy is more inclined towards fixing problems as they arise rather than investing in maintenance to prevent issues from occurring. This approach was partly due to budget constraints and partly due to the aforementioned lack of education on the benefits of alignments and other fleet maintenance practices.
Fast-forward to today, and the equipment for heavy-duty alignments has greatly improved. There is also more data available on the benefits of alignments for commercial trucks, making them worth another look if you aren't already haven't already.
While a lot has changed over time, the endgame remains the same: Return on Investment. The good news is that there is strong incentive to include wheel alignments in your plan when you look at the benefits, which include:
Increased Tire Life: Misalignment is a leading cause of premature tire wear on heavy-duty vehicles. Proper alignment ensures that tires wear evenly, extending their life. This is an important consideration, given the high cost of truck tires and the impact on the company’s bottom line. It is important to note that not all wear issues are related to alignment, so if wear is the only sign of an issue, you may need more than an alignment to correct it.
Retreadability: If you're planning on saving with retreads in the future, you need your tires to remain eligible for it. Prolonged misalignment can put tires in such bad shape that their casings are no longer viable for retreading.
Fuel Efficiency: When a vehicle's wheels are not properly aligned, it takes more energy (fuel) to keep the vehicle moving straight. A well-aligned truck will face less resistance from the road, thereby improving fuel efficiency. In an industry where fuel costs can spiral, improvements in fuel efficiency translate into savings. In 2014, it was estimated that a truck owner could save around $2,412 with a truck that travels around 100k miles in a year looking at savings related to fuel expenses and tires. Costs are different today, of course, but if fuel and tires have gone up, then it makes the benefits of an alignment even more cost-effective.
Safety: A misaligned vehicle can be difficult to control, posing a serious safety risk. Proper alignment improves handling and vehicle stability, making it safer for the driver and others on the road.
Reduced Maintenance Costs: Alignments can prevent mechanical issues, like stress on the suspension system. By catching these issues early, companies can avoid costly repairs and downtime.
Environmental Benefits: Improved fuel efficiency and reduced tire waste contribute to a smaller environmental footprint for heavy-duty vehicle operations. As companies become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact, alignments emerge as a simple yet effective practice to support sustainability goals.
Heavy-duty alignments are part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing costs, improving safety, and minimizing the environmental impact of fleet operations. If you've been hesitant to incorporate HD truck alignments into your annual maintenance costs, there's no better time to give it a go and compare the results to years you've gone without this service.
Talk with the team at Commercial Trucks Sales and Service (CTSS) and we'll be happy to assist with your heavy-duty alignment.
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