Maine Semi Trailer Repair Mobile Trailer Repair for dry van, reefer, tanker, drop deck trailer

Maine Semi Trailer Repair Mobile Trailer Repair for dry van, reefer, tanker, drop deck trailer

• Shopper
• 4 May 2022

Maine A-1 MTS , Semi Trailer Repair offers a full range of trailer repair, maintenance, and refurbishment services for all trailer types Heavy duty semi truck trailers repair and sale including dry van, drop deck, (side/end/belly) dump, (alum/steel) hopper, reefer, tanker, dolly, construction, and other manufacturers. From light duty to commercial trailers, our highly skilled technicians are ready to handle any trailer repair. A-1 MTS Mobile Service is ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our highly skilled technicians and fully stocked Mobile Service Trucks are equipped to handle any semi-tractor or trailer maintenance or repair work.

How often should semi trailers be serviced?

Just like your vehicle, each trailer has a maintenance schedule that you should follow for proper operation. But if you can't track down your trailer's service manual, you should service your trailer at least every six months.

DOT TRAILER INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the following items on the DOT trailer inspection checklist will be reviewed to ensure that your equipment is operating as intended:

• Brake connections
• Brakes
• Coupling chains
• Coupling (king) pin
• Doors
• Hitch
• Landing gear
• Lights
• Roof
• Springs
• Tarpaulin
• Tires
• Wheels

BRAKE SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR

Daily wear-and-tear, dirt and debris and corrosion take a toll on trailer brakes and can affect braking stability and stopping distance. Reduce the risk of downtime and potential accidents with regular cleaning, inspection, adjustment, and lubrication of brake equipment. Whether you need routine maintenance, drum/shoe and cylinder repair or replacement, brake pad and rotor replacement, wheel bearing re-packing and adjustments, or have a different brake-related issue.

WELDING AND FABRICATION

A-1 MTS provides high-quality welding and fabrication services to all industries. If you need welding done on steel or aluminum, our team has the training and experience to handle any job. Whether you need upper coupler fabrication, have a worn king pin that needs to be replaced, need subframe repair or even a complete replacement, we can help.

LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY AND CRANK REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

Most landing gear repairs are a result of not performing regular maintenance or misuse. Having a skilled technician check over your trailer’s landing gear system to make sure that everything is working the way it should and ensuring it is greased every three to four months can help identify early signs of damage, allowing you to get it taken care of before it gets worse. 

SUSPENSION REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

Serious safety issues and extensive damage to the trailer or the tractor can occur when one of the many components that make up a trailer’s suspension becomes worn or damaged. Experiencing unusual tire wear-and-tear or increased steering wheel and in-cab vibration? Bring your trailer to Transport Services. One of our knowledgeable service technicians will carefully inspect and provide a complete diagnosis of your trailer suspension.

AIR SYSTEMS DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR

Proper maintenance and repair of your trailer’s air brake systems is crucial to safe and efficient stopping. Dirt, oil, and moisture can clog up these systems resulting in uneven, insufficient, or slow application, system leakage, or brakes that do not release or apply and will ultimately cause a break down or accident. 

DOOR REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

Due to the amount of use trailer doors undergo, we have repaired and replaced a lot of trailer doors over the years. Many costly swing and roll door replacements can be avoided by addressing the issue when the door first starts malfunctioning. Regardless of the type of trailer or the style of door, our experienced technicians can expertly identify and address common trailer door weaknesses, from hinge damage and rot on swing doors, to broken panels and misaligned tracks in roll-up doors.

TRAILER CUSTOMIZATION

If you have an existing trailer that no longer meets your needs, or are considering purchasing a new or used trailer that doesn’t have the exact specifications required for your business, modifications could be cheaper than purchasing a different trailer. From shortening the height of a 53’ dry van trailer to converting rear swing doors to an overhead roll door.

LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR

Damage to a trailer’s lighting or electrical system is often challenging to diagnose and sometimes even more challenging to repair, depending on the location of the damaged element or wires.

TRAILER REFURBISHMENT AND RESTORATION

Trailers can deteriorate over time due to weather and use. Fortunately, Transport Services can make your old equipment look like new. If you have equipment or are considering purchasing a trailer or box truck that needs to be restored or modified to fit your particular use case.

FRAME AND STRUCTURAL REPAIR

Most regularly used trailers will experience some sort of frame damage caused by road conditions, heavy hauls or accidents. Damage to the trailer frame requires immediate and careful attention to avoid towing and safety issues and costly future repair bills. The trailer frame repair experts at Transport Services have the experience and state of the art equipment required to properly repair any trailer frame according to any manufacturer’s specifications.

LIFT GATE INSTALLATION, REPAIR AND SERVICE

A-1 MTS has long-standing relationships with most major lift gate manufacturers and provides full installation and repair services for all types of lift gates, including conventional, raillift/railgate, and stowaway/tuckunder/flipaway. 

FLOOR REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

Just because the floor of your trailer looks fine, does not mean that it is. Salt and road grime can rot a trailer from underneath, while frequent loading and unloading of cargo can impact the strength and durability of a trailer’s floor over time. Trailer floor repairs are an inevitable part of trailer maintenance.

DECAL REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

Removing adhesive vinyl graphics from a semi-trailer presents a few challenges. Most methods of decal removal require the use of strong solvents and chemicals used to dissolve the adhesive but using harsh solvents in the large amounts necessary for semi-trailer de-identification is hazardous. At Transport Services we use a safer alternative

TRAILER BODY REPAIR

Trailer body damage happens frequently and may be worse than it appears, sometimes compromising the structural integrity of the trailer. Trailer body repair requires special equipment, tools, and most importantly, expertise.

ICC BUMPER REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

A semi-trailer’s ICC Bumper is often damaged in an accident or from normal repeated docking operations. Damaged ICC Bumpers must be promptly returned to as-built condition to avoid costly fines and potential liability. This means using the same parts and specifications that the trailer manufacturer used.

 

REFRIGERATION UNIT DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR

Not all trailer repair shops provide reefer repair service because it requires specialized tools and equipment, and it can be difficult to find qualified service technicians. A-1 MTS provides comprehensive refrigerated trailer service, including maintenance and repair services for Thermo King reefer trailers and Carrier Transicold reefer trailers.

Below is a brief introduction to these companies and the semi trailers they offer.

Wabash Semi Trailers

Wabash National is a leading North American producer of semi trailers and liquid transportation systems. Founded in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1985, the company went public in 1991. Its line of dry vans, reefers, platform trailers and liquid tank trailers are built in facilities around the U.S. and in Mexico, and marketed and sold under a number of brand names. You may see Wabash National, Benson, DuraPlate, Beall, Garsite, Walker Transport and many others on the road.

Great Dane Semi Trailers

What became Great Dane was founded in 1900 in Savannah, Georgia, as the Savannah Blow Pipe Company It fabricated sheet metal systems used to manage wood chips and sawdust in mills and other woodworking facilities. In the early 1930s, the company began manufacturing over-the-road truck trailers. Today, the name Great Dane and the iconic dog profile logo are synonymous with the trucking industry. The company’s trailers, built in nine different manufacturing plants, are durable, state-of-the-art units that can meet the toughest of demands.

Utility Semi Trailers

Utility traces its history back to 1914, when two brothers in the lumber business purchased a recently founded trailer-building business as an alternative to constructing their own trailers. What they wanted was a trailer that could take the abuse of constant use, heavy loads and unforgiving roads. The company’s innovations led to the development of a patented cable-reel trailer, with the U.S. government purchasing 100 of them when WWI broke out. Fast forward over 100 years and Utility is still an innovator and industry leader in dry vans, reefers and flatbeds.

Hyundai Semi Trailers

Headquartered in San Diego, Hyundai Translead calls itself the “leading manufacturer of dry and refrigerated van trailers, flatbeds, chassis and dollies in North America.” Established in 1994 as a division of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company, which dates back to 1947, the semi trailer manufacturing unit is the first in North America to earn ISO:9001 Certification. So, you can expect quality in a Hyundai trailer and a focus on continual innovation and improvement.

Stoughton

Named for the Wisconsin city in which it resides, Stoughton started as a family-owned business in 1961. Today, the company has nine facilities and more than 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing space across Stoughton, Evansville and Brodhead, Wisconsin, where its manufacturing and component painting quality control processes are a top priority. Stoughton estimates that more than 150,000 of its trailers are on the roads in the U.S. and Canada.

Vanguard Semi Trailers

Vanguard National Trailer Corp. is a newer semi trailer manufacturer. Founded in Monon, Indiana, in 2003, the company touts “superior corrosion protection, high strength and long-life specifications and advanced safety components as standard features on every trailer.” While Vanguard may have started in a small Indiana town, its parent company, CIMC Group, operates more than 100 subsidiaries with more than 45,000 employees worldwide. For people that use Vanguard semi trailers, that’s an indicator that the company has plenty of resources to focus on manufacturing solid, dependable equipment.

Fontaine Semi Trailers

With a legacy that goes back to 1940, Fontaine Commercial Trailer is a Marmon Highway Technologies/Berkshire Hathaway company that manufactures trailers in Jasper, Haleyville and Springville, Alabama. The company claims to be the largest platform trailer manufacturer in the world. People know Fontaine trailers for their high quality and reliable performance and great warranties.

Transcraft

Transcraft, a division of Wabash National, produces flatbed and drop deck trailers at its state-of-the-art facility in Kentucky, and has for more than 50 years. It’s trailers are known for a number of characteristics, including uptime, fuel efficiency, durability and load flexibility. They deliver on that reputation, in part, by designing trailers that don’t have unnecessary weight but that have strength where it’s needed most.

The Optimal Access and Temperature Control Units for the Job

Of course, getting loads into and out of trailers efficiently and keeping temperature-sensitive loads properly chilled are critical capabilities for truckers and the companies that rely on them. The trailers that we lease, rent and sell use the best units for these tasks.

For liftgates, we prefer units from Waltco or Maxon. Both manufacturers offer a wide range of liftgate types capable of handling any loading/unloading operation.

When it comes to keeping loads cool, Thermo King and Carrier units do the job efficiently and reliably. The companies have products to meet any need, even in the heat of summer here in the western/southwestern U.S.

Which Rental Semi Trailer is Right for You?

With so many great manufacturers out there, how do you know which one to choose when you need to rent a semi trailer? For our part at A-1 MTS we don’t have a vested interest in promoting any particular provider. Instead, we talk with you about your needs and then look for the trailer that best meets them. Maybe durability is your top priority, and that helps guide our recommendation. Or, maybe there’s a particular semi trailer feature that’s critical for the type of work you do. If so, that helps us narrow down the list of contenders.

But, any way you look at it, you really can’t go wrong with any of the manufacturers above. While they’re all slightly different, certain characteristics are common to all of them. Quality construction and durability are two of the most important features, and all of these semi trailers, liftgates and refrigeration units have both.

Are there other reputable manufacturers out there? Absolutely, and that’s one of the great things about working with a company like A1- MTS. Our leadership has many decades of experience and a trusted network of connections throughout the industry. If an up-and-coming company starts turning heads with quality, functionality, price or other features of their semi trailers, we’ll hear about it quickly and share what we learn with our clients.

That’s the kind of personal attention we can give you that larger providers can’t. And if a new manufacturer emerges or an existing one ups its game, it’s a level of service that can be your competitive advantage.

TRAILER BODY REPAIR

Trailer body damage happens frequently and may be worse than it appears, sometimes compromising the structural integrity of the trailer. Trailer body repair requires special equipment, tools, and most importantly, expertise. An experienced technician will investigate damages from every angle, taking all associated components into consideration to ensure safe and successful long-term repairs. From minor dents to complete rebuilds.

MAJOR COLLISION REPAIR

When accidents happen, we are here for you. A-1 MTS provides complete collision repair services for all trailer types and manufacturers; from thoroughly assessing the damage and providing an accurate repair estimate, to working with your insurance company to get you back on the road in a timely, stress-free and affordable manner

Put Our Inventory of Semi Trailers for Rent, Lease or Purchase to Work for You

If you have a need for dry van, liftgate, refrigerated or flatbed semi trailers for rent, lease or sale from our nationwide locations in the United States and Canada, please contact A-1 MTS Trailer Leasing at your convenience. We’re happy to answer your questions about our inventory and our hassle-free, three-step semi trailer rental or leasing process that can get you on the road faster and more efficiently.

SERVICES & REPAIRS

TIRES

• Bridgestone
• Goodyear
• Michelin
• Kelly
• Yokohoma
• Ironman
• BF Goodrich
• Firestone

RETREADS

• Goodyear
• Michelin
• Bandag

BRAKES

• Drive Axle Drum
  Inboard / Outboard
• One-Wheel Brake Job
  Inboard / Outboard
• Steer Wheel Drum
  Inboard
• Trailer Axle Drum
  Inboard / Outboard
• Brake Cans
• Slack Adjusters
• S-Cam and Bushings
• Wheel Seals
• Air Bags

ADDITIONAL SERVICES*

*Additional services vary by location. Contact specific shop for service availability.

• Alignments
• Steel Welding
• Differentials
• Hydraulics
• Trailer Washouts
• Pick Up / Delivery
• Offsite Wet PMs
• Transmissions

ENGINE COOLANT SYSTEMS

• Radiators
• Water Pumps
• Water Filter
• Flush / Fill

MAJOR ENGINE REPAIRS

• Injectors
• Head Gaskets
• Front / Rear Main Seals
• Rod and Main Bearings
• Oil Coolers
• Turbos
• Valve Adjustments
• Oil Leaks

CLUTCH REPAIRS

• Repair
• Replace
• Adjustments

AIR CONDITIONING

• A/C Evacuation and Recharge
• A/C Complete Diagnostic and Repair
• A/C Component Replacement

ELECTRICAL

• Lights
• Fuses
• Alternators
• Wiring
• Batteries
• Starters

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

• DOT Combo Truck / Trailer Inspections
• DOT Truck Inspections
• DOT Trailer Inspections
• CSA Inspections

TRAILER

• Lube
• Brakes / Brake Valves
• Lights / Electrical
• Suspension / Shocks / Springs
• Leveling Valves
• ABS Valves
• Wheel Seals
• Doors
• Hinges
• Minor Body Repairs

REEFER

• Replace Batteries
• Alternators

DRIVE LINE

• U-Joints
• Carrier Bearings
• Pinion Seals
• Yolks

RV REPAIR

• Tire Repairs
• Oil Changes
• Minor Repairs

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS

• Noregon J-Pro