Sarasota is the seat of Sarasota County, a city of 54,842 at the 2020 census whose economy rests on tourism, healthcare, education and real estate. Its freight base is light, but it is far from empty. A short-line railroad still switches local industries, the city runs its own solid waste division, Breeze Transit buses work 14 fixed routes, and the airport on the county line handled more than 4.5 million passengers in 2025. RDI Power keeps no shop or office in Sarasota. Technicians drive down from Brooksville and repair diesels where they stopped.
Tamiami Trail, Washington Boulevard and Fruitville Road in Sarasota
US 41, the Tamiami Trail, is the main north-south route through the city and runs parallel to the coast north of downtown. US 301 follows Washington Boulevard north from its junction with US 41, running alongside the Trail until the 2 routes merge in Manatee County. Fruitville Road (SR 780) ties US 41, US 301 and I-75 together from west to east.
FDOT’s 2025 inventory counts about 4,042 trucks a day on US 41 near Sarasota, 9.4% of traffic, about 2,715 on US 301 between DeSoto Road and University Parkway, about 2,128 on SR 780 and about 2,107 on SR 789. When you call, name the road, the direction and the nearest cross street. On the Trail, a business name or a block number narrows the search quickly.
Landmarks that place a stopped truck in Sarasota
Street names are good; a landmark is better. A few that help a technician find a truck in Sarasota:
- The Myrtle Street spur. Seminole Gulf Railway stores its Sarasota Division locomotives on a spur at Myrtle Street, west of US 301.
- Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The terminal is in Sarasota County and the runway in Manatee County, so tell us which road around the airport you are on.
- Public Works on 12th Street. The city’s Public Works department, home of its Solid Waste division, works out of 1761 12th Street.
- The I-75 interchanges. Fruitville Road connects US 41 and US 301 with the interstate, so the Fruitville exit is a common reference.
Sarasota repairs done where the truck sits
A mobile call in Sarasota might involve a refuse truck, a transit bus, a delivery box truck or a contractor’s pickup. The technician starts the same way on each, with the driver’s description, a scan, live data and a test of whatever system the codes point to. Ford IDS, WiTECH and heavy duty scan tools come along, so a Power Stroke, a Ram and a Class 8 tractor each get proper diagnosis at the curb.
Once the fault is confirmed, a long list of repairs can be finished on the spot: batteries, cables, starters and alternators; belts, coolant hoses and accessible leaks; fuel filters and air in the fuel system; air line leaks, brake chambers and slack adjusters; sensor and wiring faults behind a derate; and trailer lights and wiring. Each one ends with a digital vehicle inspection with photos and the technician’s notes, the same report a truck gets in our shop. RDI Power has more than 250 Google reviews, and the inspection report is how a customer who was not standing beside the truck still gets to see the work.
I-75, 5 miles east of central Sarasota
I-75 is the area’s only freeway, about 5 miles east of central Sarasota, and it is the main route south toward Miami and north toward Tampa. A breakdown there is the most dangerous kind. Get the truck as far onto the shoulder as it will go, put the hazards on, set out the warning triangles and wait well away from the truck on the side away from traffic. Then call with the direction, the last exit and the mile marker. If the truck can safely reach the next exit, a lot off the interchange is a far better place to work than the shoulder of the interstate.
When on-site is not enough in Sarasota
An internal engine failure, a transmission that needs to come out or a repair that requires a lift is shop work. When the diagnosis in Sarasota points there, we plan the move with you: when the truck can come out of service, how it travels north and what happens once it arrives. The work done on site carries straight into the shop. Labor in both places carries the same warranty, 3 years / 36,000 miles, or 2 years / 24,000 miles on RDI Fleet repairs.
Weekday service and fleet roadside in Sarasota
Customers without a fleet account can call (352) 433-3800 Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. RDI Fleet accounts have roadside assistance around the clock, so a fleet truck that quits on the Tamiami Trail late at night still reaches someone. We give a straight answer on when a technician can arrive and never quote a time we cannot keep.
The mobile diesel repair page explains the program in full. Sarasota fleets that want scheduled upkeep can read fleet maintenance in Sarasota, and trucks working south Sarasota near SR 72 are covered on Gulf Gate mobile diesel repair.