Driven By Change
Commercial Alignments
Studies have shown that 80% of New Trucks are out of alignment straight from the factory. That is why manufacturers recommend that an alignment check be done at 15,000 miles. With your busy schedule and the tight margins in today's industry, this is not feasible for most truck operators.
That is why we are Driven By Change. Patridge Commercial Alignments provides your vehicle's first alignment check absolutely free. If your truck doesn't need an alignment, we won't charge.
Unlike most alignment companies, we recommend an alignment check when your truck is new and a follow-up alignment check when your truck has abnormal tire wear, handling issues and when suspension or steering components are replaced.
Save On Your Operating Cost and Enjoy a Better Handling Truck Today.
According to the ATRI - American Transportation Research Institute, Tires and Fuel represent 23.3% of the marginal operating cost on a commercial truck in 2016. Our proprietary technology and alignment procedure guarantees a precise and accurate trailer alignment every time!
Increase Tire Life By Reducing Irregular Wear
Main Tire Wear Conditions: Feathered Wear and Cupping. 80% of all trucks on the road today are out of alignment. In our experience, more than 75% of the alignment related tire wear on steer tires is a result of drive axle misalignment. There are many benefits to truck alignments.
Enhance Handling and Driver Satisfaction
Our service addresses main handling issues: right pull or drift, road wander and vibration. Right pull or drift is a result of drive axle mis-alignment in most cases. Road wander is a result of an inaccurate toe setting in most cases or worn parts. Vibrations are seldom a result of misalignment and can be a result of multiple causes and we can help to identify the vehicle issue.
Improve Fuel Efficiency
January 2012 Volvo Trucks/Michelin study finds correct tires, pressure and wheel alignment can reduce truck fuel consumption up to 15%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFxKhxMGtp0&t=77s
Lessons Learned From The Commercial Tire Business
I have over 30 years of experience in the commercial tire service and sales business working for the largest tire companies and dealing with the largest fleets in the western United States. I can tell you through experience that there hasn't been enough emphasis on performance alignments in the tire or trucking industries. The rule of thumb is tires wear out and they need to be replaced. Unfortunately, as an industry we don't spend the time to properly track tire wear out miles and all to often we just replace the tires and move on without finding out the real reason 23% of our marginal operating cost is increasing or decreasing. Tires and fuel can literally put a commercial fleet out of business or make them huge profits. I started Patridge Tires to help fleets control tire and fuel cost and become better partners.
Why waste time and money taking your truck to a shop that upsells you on unneeded parts and keeps your revenue producing truck for days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should the tires On A Semi Truck last.
With a Patridge - Precision Alignment your tires should last in excess of 175,000 miles in most Regional and long haul application with proper maintenance as described in the 2011 HDT Truckinginfo article: https://www.truckinginfo.com/150943/making-tires-last
How Often Should You Get A Three Axle Alignment Check On Your Semi Truck?
Patridge - Precision Alignment, provides free initial alignment check and periodic alignment checks for $65.00 ea.
PERIODIC ALIGNMENT CHECKS An aggressive alignment preventative maintenance program should include the following periodic checks:
1. Upon delivery of new vehicles. Even though OEMs make a concerted effort to properly align vehicles at the factory, shifting and settling can occur during delivery. Camber and caster may not change much, but toe and tandem axle parallelism may change sufficiently to set up undesirable tire wear patterns if not corrected upon receipt.
2. At the first maintenance check. Post break-in alignment checks should be done between 15,000- 30,000 miles, but no later than 90 days after the first in-service date. If shifting and settling did not occur during delivery, it may occur during the first few thousand miles of operation. Many OEMs recommend verification of torque on suspension/frame components after a few thousand miles of operation. A thorough alignment check should be made during this inspection (after torque verification). Consideration should be given to different torque requirements on metric and standard bolts.
3. When new steer tires are installed or front-end components are replaced. The steer tires coming out of service can tell a story of good or bad alignment. With this feedback, an alignment program can continue to improve. Without feedback, the best an alignment program can do is stay at its current level.
4. When tire wear indicates a concern. “Reading” tire wear can help identify alignment issues. Unfortunately, correcting the alignment does not necessarily correct the tire wear pattern once an undesirable wear pattern has been established. As discussed in the Michelin Truck Tire Service Manual: https://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck_en_us/assets/pdf/Truck_Tire_Service_Manual_2012.pdf
How Much Is A Mobile Alignment On A Semi Truck
3 axle truck is $390, Less than a third of the price of one set of steer tires!
How To Measure Alignment On A Semi Truck Drive Axles
We measure alignment in an "As Driven Condition" Using the MD Alignment Laser Alignment Procedure, similar tire the Michelin Attacc Plus Procedure.
How To Check Alignment On Semi Truck
Checking alignment in a "As Driven Condition is a trully accurate way to check alignment.
How Long Can You Run A Semi Truck Out Of Alignment
It's been proven that a fleet can run a Semi Truck of alignment, as long as they're willing to replace tires and waste money on fuel, tires and driver fatigue.
How To Do A String and a Tape Measure Alignment On A Semi Truck
Michelin Attacc Plus is an excellent process for completing a string and tape measure alignment. Although the process takes a lot of time, expertise and tenacity to get it right.
Save On Your Operating Cost and Enjoy a Better Handling Truck Today.
According to the ATRI - American Transportation Research Institute, Tires and Fuel represent 23.3% of the marginal operating cost on a commercial truck in 2016. Our proprietary technology and alignment procedure guarantees a precise and accurate truck and/or trailer alignment every time!
Increase Tire Life by Reducing Irregular Wear
Main Tire Wear Conditions: Feathered Wear and Cupping. 80% of all trucks on the road today are out of alignment. In our experience, more than 75% of the alignment related tire wear on steer tires is a result of drive axle misalignment. There are many benefits to truck alignments.
Enhance Handling and Driver Satisfaction
Our service addresses main handling issues: right pull or drift, road wander and vibration. Right pull or drift is a result of drive axle mis-alignment in most cases. Road wander is a result of an inaccurate toe setting in most cases or worn parts. Vibrations are seldom a result of misalignment and can be a result of multiple causes and we can help to identify the vehicle issue.
Improve Fuel Efficiency
January 2012 Volvo Trucks/Michelin study finds correct tires, pressure and wheel alignment can reduce truck fuel consumption up to 15%
Lessons Learned From The Commercial Tire Business
I have over 30 years of experience in the commercial tire service and sales business working for the largest tire companies and dealing with the largest fleets in the western United States. I can tell you through experience that there hasn't been enough emphasis on performance alignments in the tire or trucking industries. The rule of thumb is tires wear out and they need to be replaced. Unfortunately, as an industry we don't spend the time to properly track tire wear out miles and all to often we just replace the tires and move on without finding out the real reason 23.3% of our marginal operating cost is increasing or decreasing. Tires and fuel can literally put a commercial fleet out of business or make them huge profits. I started Patridge Tires to help fleets control tire and fuel cost and become better partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should a Patridge - Commercial Alignment on a Semi Truck Last?
A Patridge Commercial Alignment should last in excess of 175,000 miles in most regional & long-haul applications, after the initial and post-delivery check. This calculation excludes accidents, suspension component replacement, and damage due to misuse of the vehicle.
Do All Alignment Services Provide a Precision Alignment?
Why waste time and money taking your truck to a shop that upsells you on unneeded parts and keeps your revenue producing truck for days?
Not all alignments performed are created equal. Depending on the alignment service, equipment used, process and experience of the technician, the alignment may or may not give your truck the tire performance and handling needed to give you the tire wear expected. The following are actual forum posts from long hauler truckers about issues encountered with their alignments.
Truckers Report April 2020
Alignment issue, truck pulling to right.
I changed out leaf spring bushings last week - they aligned the truck with new tires. Now the truck is pulling to the Left, I was told to balance the right Tire. I did that
and it improved but still pulling left. The TA guy said he put 6 OZ weight on the right tire. The steering wheel also is pitched about 5% and not perfectly straight. If I let go of the steering wheel it will go right right away.
** The original work was done in Denver - I am in Texas now, so have to do further work elsewhere.
February 2020
Well I went and got my truck aligned today.
I picked this particular shop because they gave me a set price to do the three axle alignment. I called a bunch of shops near me and no one would give me a set price and I know if you go into a shop and they tell you it's $350 but then it's just time if we have to shim your rears or do your toe in and it might be hard to get apart we may have problems... That $350 could turn into $1,000.
So the price was $420 plus the cost of The shims. Included in that they would torque my u-bolts & set the steering wheel straight along with setting my ride height. They kept me there all day from 7:30a until 3p in the afternoon just for an alignment.
About an hour before I left the mechanic came out and said I had an air leak on top of my airbag and the fitting needed to be replaced. So I said okay go ahead. It is a fitting. Big deal.
So at the end of this colossal day that began with my price at $420 they hand me a bill for $640.
I said where does all this extra money come from? They said the shims cost $40 which is $460 so I said well what is the rest of this price? He said oh well you had an air leak that is something separate. So at that point I kind of started getting a little loud. I said you're trying to charge me $180 for a $5 fitting? After I've been here all day waiting for my truck? He said well that's a separate thing from the alignment. So I said it's an air fitting, that is right on top of the airbag there's nothing to take apart, you literally unscrew it and screw a new one in.
So finally he said I'll just charge you $6 for the part.
Then I go out to my truck and I take a look at the mileage. Well the mechanic had been telling me how great my truck runs and he kind of went on and on about it. So part of the time that I sat there all day waiting for my truck he took my truck out and took it for a joyride.
There is no reason on Earth you take a truck anywhere after alignment. Set it according to the specs & the owner takes it home.
By that time I was too tired to even go back in and argue with them.
I will tell you this though. I will never ever ever take my truck anywhere that I can't pull it into the garage myself and take the key.
And the hell of it is the truck rides worse now than when I took it there. They gave me no computer printout for the specifications which I sent them an email to send it to me.
I think the vibration I feel is that they did not set the ride height to the correct height so I'll reset it tomorrow and we'll see. The front end does feel good and the wheel is straight.
The Mechanic did Tell me that Freightliner said that truck had a different specification than what I had it set to when I went there.
But the back end was way smoother before I took it in there.
My dad was right. He said to never take your stuff anywhere to anyone at any time. Find a way to do it yourself. They'll rip you off.
Very true words.
How Long Should the Tires on a Semi Truck Last?
With a Patridge Commercial Alignment, your tires should last in excess of 175,000 miles in most regional and long haul applications with maintenance as described in this 2011 HDT Truckinginfo article.
How Often Should You Get a Three Axle Alignment Check on Your Semi Truck?
Patridge Commercial Alignment provides a free initial alignment check and periodic alignment checks for $65.00 ea.
PERIODIC ALIGNMENT CHECKS - An aggressive alignment preventative maintenance program should include the following periodic checks:
1. Upon delivery of new vehicles. Even though OEMs make a concerted effort to properly align vehicles at the factory, shifting and settling can occur during delivery. Camber and caster may not change much, but toe and tandem axle parallelism may change sufficiently to set up undesirable tire wear patterns if not corrected upon receipt.
2. At the first maintenance check. Post-break-in alignment checks should be done at 15,000 miles and when new steer tires are installed or suspension components are replaced. If shifting and settling did not occur during delivery, they may occur during the first few thousand miles of operation. Many OEMs recommend verification of torque on suspension/frame components after a few thousand miles of operation. A thorough alignment check should be made during this inspection (after torque verification). Consideration should be given to different torque requirements on metric and standard bolts.
3. When new steer tires are installed or suspension components are replaced. The steer tires coming out of service can tell a story of good or bad alignment. With this feedback, an alignment program can continue to improve. Without feedback, the best an alignment program can do is stay at its current level.
4. When tire wear indicates a concern. “Reading” tire wear can help identify alignment issues. Unfortunately, correcting the alignment does not necessarily correct the tire wear pattern once an undesirable wear pattern has been established. As discussed in the Michelin Truck Tire Service Manual.
How Much is a Mobile Alignment on a Semi Truck?
A 3 axle truck costs $450. That is less than a third of the price of one set of steer tires! This is an excellent investment for any trucking fleet.
How to Measure Alignment on Semi Truck Drive Axles
We measure alignment in an "As Driven Condition" Using the MD Alignment Laser Alignment Procedure, similar to the Michelin Attacc Plus Procedure.
How to Check Alignment on Semi Truck
Checking alignment in an"As Driven" condition is a truly accurate way to check alignment.
How Long Can You Run a Semi Truck Out of Alignment?
It's been proven that a fleet can run a Semi Truck out of alignment, as long as they're willing to replace tires regularly & waste money on fuel, tread and driver fatigue.
How to do a String and a Tape Measure Alignment on a Semi Truck
Michelin Attacc Plus is an excellent process for completing a string and tape measure alignment. Although the process takes a lot of time, expertise and tenacity to get it right.