Heavy trucks and equipment working out of Fort St. John take a beating that highway units further south never see: frost heaves, washboard lease roads, loaded climbs, gravel, and forty-below starts. The wear shows up in air systems, driveline components, hydraulics, suspension and steering long before the engine gives out. Getting that work done usually means booking shop time and losing the unit for a day or more.
This service brings the repair to the truck or machine instead. A fully equipped service truck with a crane rolls to your yard, shop, industrial site, lease site or the shoulder of the highway and handles the mechanical work that doesn't strictly need a hoist — brake jobs, slack adjusters, air leaks, U-joints, hangers, springs, hub and seal work, clutch and driveline repairs, steering components and electrical faults on commercial trucks, highway tractors, trailers, fleet units, construction and industrial equipment. Field diagnostics come first, so you know what you're actually dealing with before parts get ordered.
Slow air build, a system that won't hold overnight, dragging brakes, popping park brakes on the road, or an audible leak at a chamber or fitting. We locate leaks, replace chambers, valves, lines and fittings, adjust or replace slack adjusters, and check pushrod travel so the truck is actually legal, not just quiet.
Uneven wear, glazed linings, cracked drums, seized S-cam bushings and out-of-adjustment brakes all cut stopping power on loaded hills. Brake work is one of the most common on-site jobs we do, and it's straightforward to complete at your yard with the truck chocked and jacked properly.
A vibration that gets worse with speed, a clunk on takeoff, or a rumble under load usually points at U-joints, centre bearings, or a driveshaft that's out of balance or phase. Left alone, a failing joint can drop a shaft and take out the crossmember, air lines and wiring with it.
Broken leaf springs, worn torque rod bushings, failed air bags and shocks, loose kingpins, worn tie rod ends and drag links. These show up as wander, uneven tire wear, harsh ride or an unsafe steering feel — and they get worse fast on gravel.
Slipping under load, a clutch that won't release, hard shifting, or a linkage and air shift problem. We diagnose whether it's adjustment, hydraulics or air, a clutch brake, or a worn disc, and handle clutch replacement in the field where the site and equipment allow.
Dead batteries, corroded cables and grounds, failing alternators, parasitic draws that flatten a truck overnight, and lighting or accessory faults. Electrical troubleshooting is bread-and-butter mobile work and rarely needs a shop at all.
Heavy-duty field repair works best when we know the unit and the site before loading the truck, so the first call matters.
Make, model, tandem or tri-drive, loaded or empty, and what the symptom is. Photos of the failed area are genuinely useful.
Brake, driveline and suspension jobs are part-specific. Knowing the axle and brake configuration up front avoids a second trip.
Crane, air tools, jacks, stands and shop supplies come with it, so most jobs don't need anything on your end but a safe, level spot.
Brake adjustment checked, air system tested for leaks and build time, driveline torqued to spec, lights and circuits verified before we leave.
If we spot wear that isn't urgent today but will be soon, you hear about it so you can plan the work instead of getting surprised on the road.
The work covers the on-highway and vocational trucks common around Fort St. John, plus the trailers and heavy equipment working alongside them, whether they're hauling to the coast or sitting on a job site.
Heavy-duty field repair is dispatched out of Fort St. John and runs to Charlie Lake, Taylor, Montney, Buick, Wonowon, Hudson's Hope, Dawson Creek and Chetwynd. Yard work in and around town is easiest to schedule; remote lease work needs a bit more notice for parts and travel. See the full service area.
No tow bill, no shuttling drivers, no waiting for a bay. The truck is back on the job as soon as the repair is finished.
A service truck with a crane, air tools and jacking equipment handles far more than a pickup with a toolbox can.
We tell you what's safety-critical now, what can wait, and what should be booked into a shop with a hoist. No padding the list.
In most cases yes, provided the truck can be parked on level, solid ground and safely jacked and cribbed. Shoes, drums, chambers, slacks and S-cam work are all routine field jobs. Deep-frozen or badly seized components occasionally force a change of plan, and we'll tell you if that happens.
We prepare trucks for CVIP — brakes, lights, air system, steering and suspension items that commonly fail — but the inspection itself has to be signed off by a licensed inspection facility. Getting the repairs done first is usually what saves the re-inspection.
It depends on the truck and the site. With a level surface, room to drop the transmission and a service truck crane, it's workable. On a soft lease road in winter it usually isn't, and we'll say so before you pay for travel.
Common wear parts, fittings, air line, seals and hardware travel with the truck. Brake shoes, drums, chambers and springs are usually sourced to the specific unit, which is why we ask for the details on the phone.
You get told as soon as we know, along with what we can do to make the truck safe to move. Nobody gains from a job that gets dragged out in the field.
Yes. Plenty of Alberta-plated units run through here, and mechanical repair doesn't change with the plate.
More answers on the general service FAQ.
Brakes, driveline, suspension or electrical — describe the problem and we'll get a service truck headed your way as soon as we can, or tell you straight if it's a shop job.
ECM diagnostics, derates, no-starts and aftertreatment faults.
Field service for trucks, fleets and machinery where they sit.
Excavators, loaders and construction equipment on the job site.
Tractor-specific repair for highway units running Highway 97.
Back to the Fort St. John mobile mechanic home page, browse all services, or contact us.