Fort Meade was founded in 1849 on a military road from Tampa to Fort Pierce, which makes it Polk County’s oldest city. It had 5,100 residents in 2020. Phosphate shapes the country around it: Mosaic lists a mine named Fort Meade among its active Bone Valley mines, the Bone Valley article on Wikipedia pictures a phosphogypsum stack near the town, and Mosaic built the Streamsong resort nearby on a 16,000-acre property, with golf courses laid out on a former strip mine, before selling it in January 2023. RDI Power does not keep a shop or staff in Fort Meade. Breakdown calls here are answered by a technician who travels down from Brooksville.
US 17 through Fort Meade: about 1 vehicle in 5 is a truck
US 17 is the main road through town, running north to Bartow and south to Wauchula. On the segment between the US 98 junction and CR 640, FDOT’s 2025 count comes to about 24,500 vehicles a day, and 5,194 of them, 21.2%, are trucks. A heavy truck that loses power in that stream should get onto the shoulder or into a lot if it can still roll. Set the triangles, keep away from the traffic side, and photograph the dash before switching off, since some faults vanish on restart. If the engine shut itself down, do not keep trying to restart it; repeated cranking can hide the evidence and drain the batteries the technician needs for testing.
East Broadway Avenue, where US 98 leaves Fort Meade
US 98 rides along with US 17 on the north side of Fort Meade, then turns east at East Broadway Avenue toward Frostproof and US 27. Traffic on that eastern leg is far lighter, about 7,900 vehicles a day in FDOT’s 2025 count, but nearly 15% of it is trucks, roughly 1,169. On US 98, the distance from the East Broadway turn or the nearest named side road is the quickest way to describe a location.
Why on-site diagnosis matters for Fort Meade trucks
Towing a heavy truck from southern Polk to Brooksville takes a big bite out of the day, and it is a poor trade when the problem turns out to be small. That is the case for sending a technician first. On a Fort Meade call, the visit starts with questions on the phone, so the right parts and tools are on the service truck, and continues with a proper diagnosis beside the truck: fault codes and freeze-frame data, live readings, then a hands-on test of whatever the data points to.
Plenty of what strands a truck can be put right in place. A charging fault traced to a slipping belt or a failed alternator. A tractor that will not release its brakes because a fitting is leaking air. Water in the fuel after a bad fill, cleared by draining the separator and changing filters. A sensor or a corroded connector that put the engine into derate. Starters, batteries, coolant hoses and trailer light circuits fall in the same category. When the repair is finished, the technician sends a photo report with notes, so whoever runs the truck can see the failed part and what replaced it.
Whether the truck has older heavy-duty power or a late-model pickup engine, the tools on the service truck cover it. RDI Power is Caterpillar certified and works on Cummins, Detroit and Volvo engines in tractors and vocational trucks. For Power Stroke and Ram pickups, Ford IDS and WiTECH provide dealer-level access, and RDI employs ASE certified technicians.
Fort Meade jobs that need a bay
If the scan and the tests point inside the engine or the transmission, or the repair needs the truck on a lift, it belongs in our Brooksville shop. You hear why in plain language, and we work out the timing and the transport with you so the truck makes 1 trip, with the diagnosis already done. The labor warranty is the same in the field as in the bay: 3 years / 36,000 miles.
Calling about a Fort Meade breakdown, day or night
Trucks on an RDI Fleet account are covered by 24/7 roadside assistance. Anyone else can call (352) 433-3800 Monday through Friday during shop hours, which run from 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. We will be straight with you about how soon a technician can be there rather than quote a time to end the call.
Every on-site service available in Fort Meade is laid out on mobile diesel repair. If your trucks run on a schedule rather than waiting for the next failure, see fleet maintenance in Fort Meade. North on US 17, our Bartow mobile diesel repair page covers the county seat, and east on US 98, the Frostproof mobile diesel repair page covers the US 27 junction.