Text brake photos
Commercial & fleet trailers
Dry vans, reefers and fleet trailers. Mobile service at your yard, dock or a safe roadside location.
Brakes · air system · ABS · 24/7 mobile · Broward County
Trailer brake repair where your trailer sits
Brakes dragging, grinding, refusing to release or showing an ABS fault? Call before moving an unsafe trailer. We inspect air, electric and surge systems at a safe Broward yard, dock or roadside location, then quote the repair you actually need.
Confirm availability and service-call rate before dispatch.
From first contact to a clear quote
- 01 · Tell us the symptomCall or text the trailer type, wheel position, warning light and location.
- 02 · Confirm the visitDiscuss a realistic arrival window and service-call rate before a truck leaves.
- 03 · Diagnose and approveWe inspect the brake fault and explain parts and labor before you authorize the repair.
What does trailer brake repair cost?
There is no honest single number for a trailer brake job, because the same complaint can be a ten-minute adjustment or a tandem-axle reline. What we will do is look at it, tell you which one you have, and quote it before anything comes apart. Air, electric and surge systems all price differently.
| Factor | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|
| Brake system type | Air, electric and surge use different parts and different labor. Electric assemblies are quick; air relines are not. |
| How many axles | Labor stacks per axle. A single-axle utility trailer and a tandem semi trailer are not the same job. |
| Drum condition | Shoes alone is one job. Scored or cracked drums make it a bigger one, and we will not reline onto bad drums. |
| Roadside or at your yard | Roadside work adds travel and setup considerations. A scheduled yard visit may reduce those costs; confirm the quote for your unit. |
| Time of day | Nights, weekends and holidays cost more than a Tuesday morning. |
| Parts on the truck | Common chambers, slack adjusters and hardware we carry. An OEM-specific valve may mean a parts run. |
| Whether ABS is involved | An ABS warning needs diagnosis. The actual defect and applicable inspection criteria determine whether the trailer can remain in service. |
We quote before we start and we do not begin work you have not approved. We do not publish ranges here, because the same job varies too much by trailer, access and hour — call and we will give you a number for your unit.
How do I know it's the brakes?
Trailer brake faults announce themselves in five or six ways, and each one points at a different part. Read the symptom off this table before you call and dispatch can plan likely parts before the visit; inspection confirms the actual repair.
| Symptom | Usually means | What we bring |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes won't release, trailer drags | Seized spring brake, frozen valve, or no supply air from the tractor | Chambers, relay and spring-brake valves, air lines |
| Loud hiss with the trailer charged | Split line, cracked gladhand seal, leaking valve or fitting | Line, fittings, gladhands, seals |
| One wheel hot, or a burning smell | Dragging brake, out-of-adjustment slack, collapsed return spring | Slack adjusters, shoe kits, hardware |
| Grinding or metal-on-metal | Shoes worn past the rivets, scored drum | Shoes, drums, wheel seals |
| ABS lamp stays on | Sensor gap, damaged tone ring, chafed sensor wiring | Scan tool, sensors, connectors |
| No braking on a utility trailer | Burnt-out magnet, corroded wiring, failed breakaway switch | Magnets, backing plates, harness, breakaway switch |
Can trailer brakes be fixed on site?
Yes — the large majority of brake work is mobile work. Chambers, slack adjusters, valves, lines, shoes, hardware, magnets and sensors are all replaceable in a yard, a dock or a safe roadside pull-off with the parts on our truck.
What does need a shop: heavy drum machining, a cracked axle housing, a full brake system rebuild on a badly corroded trailer, and anything where the trailer cannot be safely blocked and lifted where it stands. Describe the symptoms and access before dispatch so we can discuss the likely scope and visit rate; inspection confirms whether shop equipment is needed.
How long does a brake job take?
Time depends on diagnosis, parts, axle count and whether the trailer can be supported safely. A simple adjustment is different from a tandem-axle reline with drums; dispatch can discuss the likely scope, and the technician confirms it after inspection.
We work at an accessible yard, dock or safe pull-off when the repair can be completed there. If parts or shop equipment are needed, we will explain that before you approve the next step.
Air brakes or electric brakes — which does your trailer have?
Commercial semi trailers use air brakes, fed by the tractor through red and blue gladhands. Utility, cargo and car-hauler trailers use electric brakes run by a controller in the tow vehicle. Boat trailers usually use surge brakes, which actuate hydraulically from the trailer's own momentum. All three are different repairs, and we carry parts for all three.
Air — S-cam drum
Chambers, spring brakes, slack adjusters, S-cams, shoes and drums, relay and spring-brake valves, gladhands, ABS modulators and sensors.
Electric drum
Magnets, shoes, backing plates, drums and hubs, harness and grounds, breakaway switch and battery, brake controller diagnosis.
Surge hydraulic
Actuator and master cylinder, lines, calipers, rotors and pads in saltwater-rated stainless, reverse lockout solenoid, bleeding and road test.
What fails a DOT brake inspection?
Brakes are the most-cited category in roadside inspections, and the write-ups repeat: out-of-adjustment brakes, linings worn past the legal limit, audible air leaks, inoperative brakes on one wheel, and a missing or non-functioning ABS lamp.
We correct out-of-service brake defects on site and document the repair for the file — which matters, because an out-of-service sticker keeps the trailer parked until it is fixed and signed off. See fleet PM programs for the version of this that stops the write-up happening at all.
How often should trailer brakes be serviced?
Semi trailers
Inspected and adjusted at every PM, measured quarterly, relined on wear rather than on a calendar. Port and drayage units wear faster than line-haul.
Utility trailers
Once a year for a working trailer, and any time braking feels weak on one side. Magnets are cheap; a seized hub on the Turnpike is not.
Boat trailers
Yearly in saltwater, and always before a long tow. Surge actuators and calipers corrode from the inside where you cannot see it.
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Utility trailers
Enclosed, open, cargo and equipment trailers. Bearings, brakes, lights and more.
Brakes down? We come to the trailer.
Tell dispatch the trailer type, the location and the symptom from the table above. You get a window and a rate before the truck leaves.