Is Your Truck Suffering from Poor Alignment? Here’s How to Tell

Alignment is an essential part of maintaining your truck’s performance and longevity. When its off, it can cause multiple issues that impact your safety, fuel efficiency and tire lifespan. Today we’ll discuss alignment red flags, causes, and how to prevent them.

Symptoms of Poor Truck Alignment

Uneven Tire Wear

One of the quickest ways to spot misalignment is uneven tire wear. If one shows more tread wear while the other looks fine, this could be down to misalignment. This is be due to misaligned wheels dragging the tire across the pavement at an angle, rather than straight.

What to Do: Regularly rotate your tires and check for any unusual wear patterns. If you notice this issue, it’s time to have a professional alignment check.

Steering Wheel Off-Center

If your steering wheel is crooked when you’re driving straight, then this is a huge alignment red flag. Your truck’s wheels aren’t pointing in the same direction, causingthe steering wheel to titl off-center. This makes driving difficult and leads to unsafe driving conditions.

What to Do: Ensure your steering wheel returns to the center after making turns. If it stays off-kilter, it's time for an alignment service.

Truck Pulling to One Side

Truck pulling to the left or right while driving? This is called drifting, which occurs when your wheels aren’t aligned evenly. Your vehicle will then pull toward the misaligned side, causing a range of issues.

What to Do: On a flat road, loosen your grip slightly and see if your truck veers off. If you constantly have to steer to correct its course, it’s time to visit a technician.

Shaky or Vibrating Steering Wheel

A shaky steering wheel is often a result of poor alignment or unbalanced tires. When your truck’s wheels are out of alignment, they no longer hit the road evenly, causing your steering wheel to shake or vibrate at certain speeds.

What to Do: If the steering wheel only vibrates at higher speeds, it’s a good indication that your alignment needs attention.

Reduced Fuel Efficiency

Poor alignment forces your truck to work harder, leading to decreased fuel efficiency. Misaligned tires create additional friction, which means your engine has to expend more energy to maintain speed.

What to Do: If you notice your fuel consumption increasing despite no changes in load or driving habits, misalignment could be to blame.

Causes of Misalignment in Heavy-Duty Trucks

Rough Road Conditions

If you operate in rough terrain, these conditions can knock your alignment out of place. This isn’t just uneven country roads. Potholes in urban environments can do just as much, if not more, damage, especially if you’re switching between these and smooth highways.

Heavy Loads

Overloading or poorly loading your truck is one of the fastest ways to cause alignment problems. Not having your cargo tied down correctly can also unevenly distribute weight, causing further problems (not to mention the risk of damaging your shipment).

Worn Suspension Components

Suspension parts like ball joints, control arms, and bushings play a significant role in maintaining proper alignment. Over time, these parts wear out, and once they do, the alignment of your wheels can shift.

Consequences of Ignoring Alignment Issues

Premature Tire Wear

Letting poor alignment continue without correction causes severe and premature tire wear. We don’t know if you’ve seen the price of tires recently, but they’re not cheap. Replacing them more often than necessary will quickly chew into your budget, especially if you oversee a fleet.

We’ve written an article about how to extend your tire life if you’re interested in learning more about this topic.

Increased Safety Risks

Misalignment affects how your truck handles on the road. Issues like drifting and delayed response time can lead to accidents, putting you and others at risk.

Stress on Suspension and Driveline

When your truck is misaligned, it puts extra strain on the suspension and driveline components. This added pressure can lead to costly repairs down the road as parts begin to wear out faster than expected.

How to Prevent Alignment Issues

To prevent alignment problems from occurring in the first place, follow these tips:

1. Inspect Tires Regularly: Look for signs of uneven wear and keep them inflated to the recommended pressure and tread depth.
2. Avoid Potholes When Possible: Steer clear of large bumps and potholes that can jar your alignment.
3. Check Suspension Components: Regular inspections of suspension components will help catch issues before they turn into alignment problems.
4. Rotate Tires: Routine tire rotations help distribute wear evenly and prevent premature wear on any single tire.

Final Thoughts

Truck alignment is essential for smooth handling, even tire wear, and maximizing fuel efficiency. If your truck is drifting, vibrating, or showing uneven tire wear, it’s time to schedule an alignment check. Not only will you save on repairs down the road, but you'll also ensure your truck operates safely and efficiently.