Arcadia, the DeSoto County seat, grew up on ranching and citrus, and it still sits at a crossroads that matters for freight: US 17 runs through the center of town and SR 70 crosses it downtown. RDI Power has no shop, office or staff in Arcadia. When a diesel stops here, a technician drives down from our Brooksville shop with scan tools and common parts and repairs it on site, provided the location and the job allow it. Arcadia sits near the far edge of the area our mobile technicians cover, and we will always be straight with you about what that means for timing.
US 17 and SR 70 cross in downtown Arcadia
SR 70 is Arcadia’s busiest freight road. FDOT’s 2025 inventory counts about 19,700 vehicles a day on the stretch between SR 72 and Hickory Street, and roughly 5,043 of them are trucks. It runs 64 miles east to Okeechobee and 48 miles west-northwest to South Bradenton. US 17 carries about 3,881 trucks a day between DeSoto Avenue and NE Livingston Street, heading 50 miles north to Bartow and 26 miles southwest to Punta Gorda. On both, about 1 vehicle in 4 is a truck.
Downtown, the cross street is the key detail: Hickory, Livingston, DeSoto or whichever sign you can read. Outside town, give the road, the direction and a distance from the last crossroad or landmark you passed.
SR 72 and SR 31 near Arcadia
Just west of town, SR 72 splits from SR 70 and runs 44 miles to south Sarasota, carrying about 1,270 trucks a day. SR 31 adds roughly 1,992, nearly 25% of its traffic. Away from the US 17 and SR 70 crossing, businesses thin out quickly, so a mailbox number, a farm gate or a named crossroad does more for a technician than a general description. A few larger landmarks help as well: Arcadia Municipal Airport, which FDOT named its 2020 General Aviation Airport of the Year, and FPL’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, which covers 235 acres in Arcadia. Seminole Gulf freight trains also work the line between Arcadia and North Fort Myers, so if the truck stopped near a rail crossing, mention it, and keep well clear of the tracks.
Ranch and grove trucks around Arcadia
Mobile service covers ranches and groves as well as roads, and around Arcadia that is a lot of ground. A ranch truck that will not start in a pasture or a grove truck with a charging fault can often be repaired where it sits, as long as the service truck can reach it over firm ground. Tell us which gates to use and whether they need closing behind us, and give an honest picture of the access road after rain.
Peace River weather and Arcadia breakdowns
Arcadia knows what high water can do. Hurricane Ian in 2022 flooded the Seminole Gulf Railway’s Arcadia Yard and partly destroyed three Peace River rail trestles, and SR 72 collapsed during the same storm. After a storm, tell us which roads are open between the truck and the highway, so the technician does not plan a route that no longer exists. And if a truck has been sitting in floodwater, do not try to start it. Water drawn into the intake can wreck an engine on the first crank. Leave it off and let the technician check it first.
Arcadia repairs finished on site
The technician scans the truck, reads live data and tests before replacing anything. Field repairs that usually get a truck moving again:
- Batteries, cable ends, grounds and starters
- Alternators, belts and tensioners
- Air lines, fittings, brake chambers and slack adjusters
- Fuel filters, water separators and air in the lines
- Coolant hoses and accessible fittings
- Sensors, connectors and wiring, including corrosion after wet weather, and DEF system faults
Each repair is written up in a digital inspection with photos and technician notes for whoever pays the bill.
Arcadia work that heads to Brooksville
Internal engine damage, a transmission that has failed, a truck that took in water through the intake, or any job needing a lift belongs in a bay. When the technician finds one, we explain it and plan the trip to Brooksville with you, from timing to towing. With the diagnosis done, the shop can order parts before the truck arrives. That labor carries RDI Power’s 3-year / 36,000-mile warranty, field or shop.
Calling from Arcadia
During weekday shop hours, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, anyone with a stopped diesel can call (352) 433-3800. Nights and weekends, roadside help is for RDI Fleet accounts, which have it 24/7.
For trucks that work DeSoto County every week, see fleet maintenance in Arcadia. North on US 17, our Wauchula mobile diesel repair page covers the Hardee County seat, and the service is explained in full under mobile diesel repair.