A trailer fleet maintenance program is scheduled service at your own yard for every trailer your business runs, with a record kept for each unit. Keep Them Rolling Trailer Repair sets these up for landscapers, contractors, rental companies and municipal fleets across Morris, Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon counties. Ask owner Brad Smith about a fleet service program at (973) 651-1045.
When a business runs five or ten trailers, maintenance tends to happen one breakdown at a time. A crew loses a morning, a job gets pushed and someone scrambles to find a shop with an open bay. A program flips that around: the trailers get serviced on a calendar, at the yard, before they fail. Fleet customers deal directly with Brad, who has 30+ years of hands-on trailer experience.
Who fleet service suits
Landscapers
Open utility and equipment trailers carry mowers and compact loaders five or six days a week from spring through fall. Ramp gates take a beating, deck boards crack, lights get knocked off by branches, and bearings on heavily loaded axles run hot. Service lands in late winter, before the first cut. The repairs these trailers need most are covered on the utility and landscaping trailer repair page.
Contractors
Dump, equipment and enclosed tool trailers live on job sites, get loaded unevenly and park on mud and gravel. Frames, spring hangers and brakes wear faster than they would on a trailer that stays on pavement, and a trailer that fails mid-job strands both the equipment and the crew.
Trailers shared between crews
When a different driver hitches the same trailer every week, couplers get forced, tires get curbed and plugs get yanked out by the cord. A short check between uses plus a full service on a set interval keeps one crew’s damage from reaching the next job.
Seasonal trailers
Some fleet trailers work hard for one season and sit for months between uses. Idle time is hard on tires, brakes and wiring, so a program for a seasonal fleet usually pairs a full yearly service with a check before each season’s work starts.
What a fleet program includes
Every program starts with a walk through the yard. Brad records each trailer’s unit number, type, axle count, tire size, brake type and condition, then sets a service interval based on how hard each one works: monthly for the busiest units, quarterly or seasonal for the rest.
Each visit follows the same checklist on every trailer:
- Bearing inspection, with repacking when it comes due
- Brake inspection and adjustment, plus the breakaway system
- Tire condition, pressure and lug torque
- Lights, plug and wiring
- Suspension, frame, coupler, chains and jack
- Floors, ramps and doors where they apply
Repairs found on a visit are quoted before any work starts. Routine fixes get done then and there, and parts that need ordering are installed on a return trip. Commercial trailers due for an annual inspection get checked ahead of the date through DOT inspection prep and repairs.
Records for every unit
Each trailer gets its own service history: the date, what was checked, what was replaced and what is coming due. That record answers the questions fleet managers actually get asked. When were the bearings on unit 7 last done? Why is this trailer costing more than the others? Is it time to replace it rather than keep fixing it? The history also belongs in your inspection files, and it’s worth handing over when a trailer is sold.
One call for the whole fleet
Scheduled work and breakdowns go through the same number. If a trailer goes down between visits, at the yard or out on a job, Brad already knows its history and can come to it with mobile trailer repair. One business owner whose trailers Brad looks after gave him credit in a Google review for honest, transparent dealing and quick turnarounds on repairs, and that’s the real value of one person knowing every unit. Loaded trailers wear brakes steadily, and the trailer brake repair page explains what a brake job on a working trailer involves.
Fleet programs sit within Brad’s inspection and maintenance services. Based in Randolph, he covers yards across the Morris County trailer repair area plus Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon, and will go farther, up to roughly 100 miles, for a fleet that needs it. To set up a walk-through of your yard, book a fleet visit online or give Brad a call.
Common questions
How often should fleet trailers be serviced?
It depends on the work. Trailers that run loaded every day, such as landscaping and contractor units, usually need two full services a year, plus quick checks far more often. Trailers that sit between seasonal jobs can go longer between full services but should be checked before each season starts. Bearing service tends to anchor the calendar, and heavy-use units often need it sooner than the common once-a-year guideline.
What does a trailer fleet maintenance program include?
A program starts with a record of every unit and a service interval for each one. Visits cover bearings, brakes and the breakaway system, tires and lug torque, lights and wiring, suspension, frame, coupler and chains, plus floors and doors where they apply. Repair work is priced up front, and each trailer’s service history is kept so you can see what was done, what it cost and what’s due next.
Can trailers be serviced at our yard?
Yes, and that’s how fleet service works. Brad pulls into your yard with his truck and enclosed service trailer, which hold the tools and parts, and works through the trailers where they’re parked. Give him a spot with room to jack up each trailer and walk around it, ideally pavement or firm gravel. Most work gets finished on site. A job that needs a part ordered, such as an axle, is completed on a return visit.