Everything You Need to Know About Commercial Truck Alignment.
An alignment is an essential service to have performed on the suspension system, especially for semi trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. Over time, your suspension system can start to experience wear and tear. This can happen more quickly if your vehicle is being used consistently.
But according to major tire equipment manufacturers, many operators actually neglect alignments. It is estimated that up to 70% of commercial vehicles on the road are in need of this service.
Your truck’s suspension system supports its weight, helps the wheels travel and pivot as needed, and absorbs the bumps and vibrations from driving to provide a smooth and comfortable ride
A commercial alignment is the adjustment of this suspension system. The goal of a commercial alignment is to adjust the angles of the wheels on your vehicle to the manufacturer's specifications, making sure that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.
Doing this ultimately helps your tires last longer while also giving your vehicle proper handling.
NOTE: It takes trained technicians to perform heavy-duty and semi-truck alignments.
To begin the alignment process, our technicians start by finding the tolerances and specifications for the specific ride they’re working on.
Once the vehicle is installed on the alignment system’s adaptors (with rolling compensation - no jacking required!), the angles are then measured on each wheel using electronic sensors. Our Hunter WinAlign® HD sensors provide us 3-axle alignment readings with speed and accuracy!
Next, the readings are compared to the specifications that are listed for the vehicle using our Hunter alignment machinery. Once we know what needs adjusting, our technicians will work to correct those different suspension angles. Some of the angles are:
- Caster: Caster refers to the angle of the steering axis when viewed from the side of a vehicle. A positive caster can occur when the steering axis tilts more toward the driver, and a negative caster refers to when the steering axis tilts toward the front of a vehicle. (NOTE: Caster is not adjustable on all vehicles) - Camber: The Camber is the inward and outward tilt of the tire and wheel. This is viewed from the front of the vehicle. Each manufacturer sets a specific camber alignment for their vehicles, which can be either positive, negative, or zero. - Toe: The toe suspension angle is how much the tires are turning inward or outward when viewed from above. Toe-in alignment is when both tires are angled in, and toe-out is the opposite. - Thrust: The thrust angle is used to see if a rear axle is lined up with the front axle and the center of a vehicle. The angle is an imaginary line that comes down from the centerline of the rear axle all the way through the vehicle.
We will also do an overview of the suspension system as a whole to make sure there are no broken or worn parts that need replacing.
Commercial trucks become misaligned when any of the components in the suspension system shift out of place. Misalignment could be caused by the driver, the road, or worn components.
- Road conditions — Since trucks often drive through rugged terrain, rough road conditions can make the wheels especially susceptible to misalignments. - Potholes and bumps — Sudden disturbance or impact from hitting something such as a pothole, bumping into a curb, or going too fast over a speed bump can knock your truck out of alignment. - General wear and tear — Every time you drive your truck, you are subjecting it to massive amounts of torque and friction, which leads to the gradual degradation of its components. Over time, pressure on shocks, springs, and tires can cause them to slowly slip out of alignment.
Though the size of some bumps may not be significant, if hit hard enough, it could still be just enough to affect your alignment. The larger the impact, the higher the potential you have of throwing your vehicle’s alignment out of place.
Tire wear problems may show up on the steers, but could actually be coming from the drive or the trailer axles, which can have a huge effect on overall vehicle alignment. Many alignment experts rank drive axles as causing the most trouble, followed by trailer axles, with steer axles last.
It’s also important to note that just because your commercial vehicle drives straight without any pulling or your tires wear evenly, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a perfect alignment. In some cases, your drive tires’ thrust and scrub angle could be absorbing each other. This issue might be keeping your vehicle straight while driving, but it can actually cause much faster tire wear at the same time.
There are many benefits that come from the alignment of commercial vehicles.
- Prevent irregular tire wear - Misalignment of tires can cause inner and outer tire wear, as well as the tread wearing down too quickly. - Improve handling, and reduce pulling and drifting - Having proper alignment is also a benefit to truck drivers. Misaligned commercial vehicles can cause more work for drivers when it comes to keeping the truck moving in the right direction. - Increase tire life - Tires that are well taken care of and well-aligned will ultimately last longer. The prevention of tire wear and strain will help you get the most out of your tires. - Decrease tire costs - Commercial truck tires can be expensive to replace (the average cost being around $500 per tire), so maximizing the amount of time they can be used is important, especially for fleet owners. Proper alignment can help ensure that tires are not being replaced prematurely. - Increase fuel economy (minimal) - Tires that are properly aligned can also improve performance on the road and ensure that commercial trucks are traveling with the highest possible fuel efficiency. - Reduce driver fatigue - Fatigue can build up with drivers who have to deal with poorly aligned suspensions, so it’s crucial that tires are properly aligned to prevent this from happening. - Increase safety - A large and heavy drifting commercial vehicle on the road puts everyone at a safety risk. Alignment will help keep you safe and straight on the road. - Reduces wind resistance - Jerky movements can lead to greater wind resistance. Proper alignment means a smoother ride and ultimately less wind resistance.
- Irregular tire wear - Drifts and pulls - Hard steering - Poor drivability - Premature failure of suspension parts
We recommend that you get an initial truck alignment sometime between the first 15,000 to 30,000 miles of your truck’s life, or after the first three months, whichever comes first. The break-in period is usually when vehicles experience the most change in the components affecting alignment. Aligning too early can actually do more harm than good.
And after your initial truck alignment, we recommend that you get subsequent alignments about every 80,000 to 100,000. Getting your alignments done at about the same intervals as replacing steer tires is a good rule of thumb.
There are several signs that a vehicle needs alignment. The most common ones include:
- Steering wheel drifting: If the steering wheel is pulling to the right or left while a vehicle is traveling down the road, this can be a sign of misalignment. Keeping the wheel straight shouldn’t require much effort. - Abnormal tire wear: As mentioned before, a misaligned vehicle can cause abnormal wear and tear on tires. The tread might start to prematurely come off in unusual wear patterns. - Steering wheel vibrations: Vibrations in the steering wheel could be caused by tires that are out of balance or misaligned.
Other signs include noisy steering or squealing tires. If you experience any of these issues, take your vehicle to a trained commercial technician as soon as possible.
Once irregular wear starts on a steer or trailer tire, there is no way to counteract it. Unfortunately, it will only continue to get worse. If you put new tires on after you align, they should wear evenly, but your old tires are going to continue to show irregular wear.
The manufacturers establish alignment specs because that’s the result of their experience of what works best, based on average conditions of use. But your conditions may not be “average.” You may haul much heavier or much lighter loads. You could also have greater or less road crown along your routes. There are many operational variables to consider. Because of that, alignment specs try to take things like that into account.
Misalignment can decrease gas mileage by up to 10% because instead of rolling freely, misaligned tires drag. If your tires aren’t aligned properly, you could be spending more money on gas. A wheel alignment could help you conserve fuel and fill up less often.
Some shops will get different alignment results because not all shops have the same equipment or attention to calibration. How well-trained the technicians are can also be a factor in the results.
Alignment service can range anywhere from $75 to $125 or more per axle depending on the market and type of truck.
The Bridgestone and the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Recommended Practice RP 642A-2 suggests a “post-break-in” alignment between 15,000 and 30,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first. After that, TMC recommends subsequent alignments every 80,000 to 100,000 miles after the post-break-in alignment. You should get your alignments done at about the same intervals as replacing steer tires.
Tire wear is the best indicator. Your tires will tell you whether your axles are properly aligned by how long they last. Proper inflation and alignment are the two biggest factors in longer tire life.
A good alignment shop will give you a “Before and After” report that compares settings. In addition to the report, you should expect a test drive to look for any change in handling or road feel.
In the transportation industry, the two highest operating expenses are fuel and tires. When wheels are properly aligned, they may help you reduce your overall fleet operation costs.
Do you need a wheel alignment for one or more of your commercial trucks?
Our wheel alignment experts understand all scenarios and symptoms of misalignment on commercial trucks. We use the latest Hunter Engineering alignment equipment. These systems can perform a “QuickCheck” on a 3-axle truck with speed and accuracy. The alignment checks help us pinpoint areas for further inspection.
If you're near our fleet service centers in Michigan or Indiana, contact us for commercial and heavy-duty wheel alignments.
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