Lake Wales, a city of 16,361 (2020), sits where Polk County’s 2 big southern freight roads meet. The Polk Transportation Planning Organization ranks SR 60 near US 27 third among the county roads it named for daily truck volume, and FDOT describes US 27 as a regional freight corridor running from I-4 to Miami. That puts a lot of heavy trucks through Lake Wales. RDI Power has no shop or staff in Lake Wales; when one of those trucks stops, a technician heads down from Brooksville in a service truck stocked to diagnose and repair it.
SR 60 through Lake Wales: more than 1 vehicle in 4 is a truck
FDOT’s 2025 count on SR 60 between West Central Avenue and 3rd Street is about 27,500 vehicles a day, and 7,700 of them, 28.0%, are trucks. A 2016 freight zone plan proposed widening SR 60 to 4 lanes from County Road 630 east to the Kissimmee River. A truck that stops on SR 60 should get fully onto the shoulder if it can, and the caller should give us the nearest cross street, such as Central Avenue, and the direction of travel.
US 27 and the Lake Wales Commerce and Technology Park
US 27 carries freight north toward I-4 and south toward Miami. FDOT’s 2025 count on the stretch from Mountain Lake Cut Off Road to CR 17A at Chalet Suzanne is about 45,000 vehicles a day, roughly 5,085 of them trucks. South of town on US 27, the Lake Wales Commerce and Technology Park offers lots for light manufacturing and distribution, about 9 miles from the CSX intermodal facility. Lake Wales Municipal Airport sits about 2 miles west of downtown, and SR 17 adds about 1,263 trucks a day on its busiest nearby segment. Any of those make good landmarks when you call.
Lake Wales repairs done beside the truck
Many breakdowns never need a teardown. The work a technician can finish beside a Lake Wales truck includes:
- Bringing back a no-start: testing batteries, cables, the starter and grounds, then replacing whatever failed
- Finding an air leak that will not let a tractor build pressure or release its brakes, and replacing the line, fitting or chamber
- Changing a burst coolant hose or a broken belt, then checking what the belt drives
- Replacing restricted fuel filters, draining water from the separator and bleeding air out of the system
- Repairing the sensor, harness or connector behind a derate or a check engine light
Before any part is ordered, the technician proves the cause with a scan tool, live data and a direct test, using dealer-level software such as Ford IDS and WiTECH on pickups. The finished job is documented with photos and notes, so the owner sees the same evidence the technician saw. For more on finding electrical and sensor faults, see our computer diagnostics page.
Farm and grove calls around Lake Wales
Lake Wales is home to the Florida’s Natural Growers cooperative and its processing plant, and Polk is the state’s top citrus-producing county. If your truck works groves, a breakdown may happen on a farm road instead of a highway. Farms are one of the places mobile service is meant for: a farm truck, a flatbed or a trailer can be repaired on the property when the technician can reach it and set up on firm ground. Tell us how to get onto the property and how close the service truck can get, and mention it if recent rain has softened the ground. Our agriculture page covers RDI’s farm work in more depth.
Details that speed up a Lake Wales call
Say which road you are on, SR 60, US 27 or SR 17, your direction, and the nearest cross street or landmark, such as Central Avenue or the Lake Wales Municipal Airport. Add the truck’s year, make and engine, what it did before it stopped, and any codes on the dash. Note whether you are loaded and whether the truck is clear of traffic.
Lake Wales trucks that need the Brooksville shop
Some failures cannot be fixed properly on a shoulder: internal engine damage, transmission work that means pulling the unit, and anything needing a lift. When that is the verdict, you get a plain explanation, and we plan the timing and transport to Brooksville with you. RDI Power’s labor warranty, 36,000 miles or 3 years, applies in the field and in the bay alike.
Trucks on an RDI Fleet account can get roadside help around the clock, Lake Wales included. Everyone else can reach the shop at (352) 433-3800 on weekdays during business hours, and we will tell you honestly how soon a technician can arrive.
The full on-site program is on mobile diesel repair, and planned service for Lake Wales operations is on fleet maintenance in Lake Wales. South on US 27, our Frostproof mobile diesel repair page covers the US 98 junction.