Performing wheel alignments on trucks is critical to ensure optimal safety on the road, extend the lifespan of tyres, minimise on fuel consumption, and maximise on overall vehicle performance. Poor wheel alignment, will therefore, have a detrimental effect on a truck and its performance. As a truck owner-operator, it is important for you to know when your fleet needs wheel alignment service. Luckily, wheels are one of those components of a vehicle that will show signs of trouble when they are not correctly aligned.
To get the inside scoop on early warning signs indicating that your truck wheels may have been thrown out of alignment, keep reading on below.
When your truck veers to either side of the road.
Does your truck veer to either side of the road while you are driving it? If so, this is a sign that the vehicle's wheels may be misaligned. You may try to control this with your steering, but the vehicle will respond poorly to your input as a trucker. Keeping your truck wheels properly aligned all the time will ensure the vehicle travels along the road as you want it to.
When your truck tyres wear unevenly and prematurely.
Like most other parts of a truck, your truck tyres have a limited service life. Under certain conditions, however, the tyres can wear down prematurely. Poor vehicle handling is one of those conditions — it will cause your tyres to wear unevenly and prematurely because you will have a hard time keeping the vehicle on the road.
When your truck starts being 'thirstier' than usual.
Does your truck consume more fuel than it typically does? If so, improper wheel alignment may be to blame. If the wheels have been thrown out of alignment, they will cause the vehicle to have a higher rolling resistance, meaning that the wheels will encounter more resistance as they turn on the road surface. To overcome this problem, your vehicle's engine will have to run harder than it normally does. This will, in turn, increase the vehicle's fuel consumption.
With global fuel prices escalating with each passing year, minimising your fleet's fuel costs is vital. So, make sure to keep your truck wheels correctly aligned all the time.
Taking your fleet for routine wheel and tyre servicing can go a long way in ensuring the above-highlighted issues are eliminated or minimised. In the trucking business, ensuring safety on the roads and saving on costs will put you on the path to success.