When a tractor or dump truck is down, the bill is only part of the cost. Loads sit, drivers wait and the schedule slips. RDI Power repairs semi trucks and heavy duty trucks at our shop in Brooksville and on-site across Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties, with mobile service for fleets across Central Florida. Brooksville sits between I-75 and the Suncoast Parkway, with US-41, US-98 and SR 50 running through Hernando County, so a lot of freight and construction traffic passes within reach of our bays. We diagnose to the root cause so the truck goes back to work fixed, not just running.
Heavy trucks we work on
Our heavy truck mechanics handle heavy duty diesel repair on tractors, dump trucks and vocational trucks, in the shop on Donto Way or on-site.
- Class 8 tractors: over-the-road sleepers, regional tractors and day cabs
- Vocational trucks: dump trucks, roll-off trucks, mixers, crane and boom trucks, and other work trucks built on heavy chassis
- Medium duty trucks: box trucks and Class 6 and 7 trucks that support the heavy fleet
Makes
Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack, Volvo, International and Western Star.
Engines
- Cummins: ISX15 and X15, along with older heavy Cummins engines. See Cummins diesel repair.
- Detroit: Series 60, DD13, DD15 and DD16
- Caterpillar: C13, C15 and 3406, worked on by a Caterpillar certified shop. See Caterpillar engine repair.
- Volvo and Mack: Volvo D11 and D13, and the Mack MP7 and MP8 that share the Volvo engine architecture
- PACCAR: MX-11 and MX-13 in Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks
Common heavy truck repairs
Air brakes
Air brake work covers both halves of the system. On the supply side that means the compressor, governor, air dryer, tanks, lines and valves. At the wheels it means S-cam drum brakes, shoes, slack adjusters, brake chambers and spring brakes, plus air disc brakes on newer tractors and the ABS sensors and modulators that tie it together. Leaks get found with the system aired up and the brakes applied, where they actually show.
An automatic slack adjuster that keeps needing manual adjustment is a warning, not a maintenance item. It usually means worn cam bushings, a failing adjuster or a problem in the foundation brake, and backing the adjuster off again only hides it until the next inspection. Out-of-adjustment brakes are among the most cited problems at roadside inspections. More on our brake system repair page and in our guide to semi truck brake repair.
Aftertreatment and derates
The DOC, DPF, SCR catalyst, DEF dosing system, NOx sensors, EGR valve and cooler, and the variable geometry turbo all work as a single system, and a fault in any part of it can put a truck into derate. Clearing codes and forcing a regen may get a truck moving, but a DPF that keeps plugging is usually being fed by something upstream: a leaking injector, an EGR problem, a turbo seal passing oil, or a duty cycle with too much idling. A DEF fault can be the heater, pump, doser, a sensor or bad fluid. We trace it to the source, then decide whether the filter needs a regen, a cleaning or replacement. See DPF, EGR and emissions repair.
Engine repair and overhauls
Engine diagnostics, injectors, overhead adjustments, head gaskets, oil coolers, EGR coolers, turbochargers and in-frame overhauls. Before we recommend an overhaul, we look at oil analysis history if you have it, blow-by, compression, coolant condition and what the engine has been telling the ECM, so you know whether a targeted repair or a full rebuild is the better spend.
Cooling
Heavy trucks shed a lot of heat in a Florida summer. Radiators, charge air coolers, fan clutches, water pumps, thermostats and hoses all get pressure tested and inspected. A charge air cooler leak costs power and raises exhaust temperatures, and a fan clutch that will not engage can cook an engine on a slow climb with a full load.
Drivetrain and clutches
Manual transmission repair, clutch adjustment and replacement, release bearings, driveshafts, U-joints, carrier bearings, differentials and the inter-axle differential on tandem drive axles. Driveline vibration gets traced to the cause, whether that is a worn joint, a bad carrier bearing or driveline angles that changed after suspension work. Transmission rebuilds and automatics are covered on our truck transmission repair page.
Electrical and data link faults
Charging and starting systems, battery banks, cab and chassis wiring, trailer lighting circuits, sensors and data link communication faults between modules. Corrosion at connectors and grounds causes a large share of intermittent electrical complaints, and it gets fixed at the source, not bypassed.
Steering, suspension and cab comfort
Kingpins, tie rod ends, drag links, steering gears, air springs, leveling valves, shocks and torque rods, followed by an alignment when the work calls for it. We also service cab heating and air conditioning, because a cab that cannot keep the driver cool or the windshield clear is a safety issue too.
Early warnings worth a call
Most heavy truck breakdowns give notice first. Bring the truck in, or have us come to it, when you see:
- Air pressure that builds slowly, or an air dryer that purges far more often than it used to
- Coolant that keeps disappearing with no puddle under the truck
- Regens coming closer together, DEF warnings, or a derate that clears and returns
- More blow-by, more oil added between changes, or oil in the charge air piping
- A clutch that slips under load or will not release cleanly
- A steer tire wearing on its inside or outside edge, or a truck that wanders in its lane
- Voltage that swings on the gauge, or lights that dim at idle
Each of these is cheaper to fix as a symptom than as a roadside failure with a load on.
Help us get it right on the first call
A few details save diagnostic time: the engine make and model, the codes on the dash if you can read them, when the problem happens (cold, hot, loaded, empty, climbing), any recent repairs, and where the truck is sitting. If the truck is on a trailer route, tell us whether the trailer stays with it, because trailer brake, wiring and suspension problems sometimes look like tractor problems. We repair trailers too, so the whole combination can be checked in the same visit.
Inspections and fleet programs
We perform annual DOT inspections on trucks and trailers. For operations running several trucks, the RDI Fleet maintenance program builds scheduled preventive maintenance around your routes, budget and fleet size, with priority service, detailed reporting and digital inspections on every unit, a 2-year/24,000-mile warranty on fleet repairs, and 24/7 roadside assistance for fleet customers.
Brooksville’s truck route: Cortez Boulevard and Cobb Road
Where SR 50 and SR 50A split, signs direct trucks headed for US 98 north to stay on Cortez Boulevard and then follow Cobb Road (CR 485) around the city. That pairing is US Truck Route 98. Cobb Road does double duty: it also serves the Cemex plant and quarry, and at its north end, where it meets US 98, truck weigh stations sit just to the west. Add the CSX Brooksville Subdivision, which runs close to US 41 and crosses SR 50 at grade east of US 41, and you have a short list of places where a heavy truck in Brooksville spends its day stopping, starting and climbing back up to speed.
Quarry and cement duty around Brooksville
A tractor running long highway legs is in its comfort zone. A truck shuttling rock or cement on short, heavy runs is not, and that duty cycle shows up in predictable places:
- Brakes: loaded stops and starts wear linings and drums quickly and work the air system hard, from the compressor and air dryer to chambers and slack adjusters.
- Aftertreatment: short runs and long idle periods keep exhaust temperatures low, so the DPF loads up faster than it can clean itself and EGR components collect soot. The reasons are laid out in our article on DPF and regen problems.
- Air intake and cooling: dusty sites load air filters and pack radiators and charge air coolers with debris.
- Suspension and steering: loaded runs over job-site ground punish springs, bushings, kingpins and tie rod ends.
In the shop or on-site
Jobs that need lifts, heavy tooling or an engine out of the frame happen in Brooksville. Diagnostics and many repairs can happen where the truck is: at your yard, on a job site or on the shoulder. Our mobile technicians bring diagnostic tools and on-site repair capability, and mobile service is how we support fleets beyond the immediate Brooksville area.
Every repair comes with a digital vehicle inspection, photos and technician notes, and a 3-year/36,000-mile labor warranty. If a truck is down or running wrong, call the shop, tell us where it is and what it is doing, and we will lay out a plan to get it back on the road.