Two ways to get this handled. Drive it down — 52 miles, about an hour and a half, and we'll have the part waiting when you pull in. Or call and we'll come to you, roughly an hour and a half out to West Chicago. Either way you're talking to people who know car-hauler equipment, not a generalist shop guessing at your hydraulics. And there's no good place to sit and wait it out in West Chicago — no truck stop in town, nowhere to park a loaded hauler while you figure out who can actually fix it. Every hour that truck sits at the ramp or on the shoulder is a load you're not delivering.
It's a real drive, and we won't pretend otherwise. Here's what it looks like, and what you get for it.
West Chicago is inside our road-service range. If the hauler is down at the Kress Road ramp, sitting on IL-59, or stuck somewhere off Roosevelt with a load on it, call 224-278-9872 and tell us what it's doing — we'll bring the parts and the equipment to you, about an hour and a half out.
Ramp duty is hard on a hauler — decks cycling all day, hydraulics under constant load, hard miles on short runs. Most of what comes down from West Chicago is exactly that: cylinders, hoses, deck and fifth-wheel work. But once you've made the drive, there's no reason to make it twice. Brakes, tires, electrical, diagnostics, aftertreatment, A/C, welding and PM all run through this same shop, on car haulers and on straight semis alike. One stop, one shop — no bouncing your fleet between three places to get everything done.
Deck, hydraulics, fifth wheel, ramps and everything else that makes a hauler a hauler — the work most shops send you away for.
Leaking, drifting or dead cylinders, hoses and lines rebuilt or replaced with the parts already on the shelf.
Repair, repositioning and replacement — the wear that gets missed until it becomes a problem on the highway.
Lights, wiring, alternators and starters traced back to the actual fault instead of parts thrown at it.
Codes read and traced to what's actually causing them, plus OBD and CARB testing when it's time.
Forced regens, DEF dosing valves and aftertreatment faults sorted before the truck derates on you.
Scheduled service with a real inspection attached, so small things get caught while the truck is already stopped.
Pads, shoes, drums, air system and adjustment — inspected honestly and replaced only where it's warranted.
Air bags, shocks, bushings and pins on tractor and trailer, so the load rides right and nothing wears out early.
Cracks, mounts, brackets and deck structure repaired in-house instead of farmed out to another shop.
Because there's a difference between a shop that will look at a car hauler and a shop that knows one. Closer usually means a generalist who has to order the cylinder, order the hose, order the bushing — and your truck sits in their yard for three days waiting on a parts truck while the ramp keeps loading without you. We stock car-hauler parts on purpose, because this is what we work on. That's why the job goes out same day in most cases, next day at the latest. Ninety minutes each way once beats a week parked ten minutes from home.
Diagnosed today, fixed today — same day in most cases, next day at the latest.
The hydraulic, cylinder and fifth-wheel parts most shops have to order are already on the shelf.
Diagnosed by someone who ran car haulers for about ten years, so the real problem gets found the first time.
Explain the problem the way you'd explain it to another driver — in English, Russian, or Spanish.
A straight quote before the work starts, and no parts sold that the truck didn't need.
Minutes off the corridor, so getting to the shop doesn't cost you more time than the repair.
Plenty of these operators drove past shops closer to home to get here — and kept coming back. That's the part worth reading before you commit to a ninety-minute run down I-88 and I-294.
My husband came to this shop today right after his trip, around 4 PM on Friday! , in an urgent situation. They took him in immediately and repaired everything within just an hour — very professional and fast. We were also pleasantly surprised by how reasonable the price was. We’re truly grateful for the professionalism, quick service, and overall great experience. Thank you so much! Highly recommend!
Had an electrical problem on one of our car hauler trailers on a Saturday. The guys at Fleet SC said to stop by so they could take a look, they got the driver rolling again in no time. life savers before the long weekend. They didn't over charge or anything, very fair and honest, helpful guys. Will definitely save them for the future.
Great place , professional mechanics, easy in and out , reasonable prices, bilingual customer service ( English, Russian) the company is reliable in all sectors, customer lounge with coffee and snacks. Enjoyed my experience!
What West Chicago operators ask before they make the drive.
Send us what the truck needs. We'll come back with a straight estimate and confirm the part is on the shelf — before you spend three hours on the road.
Tell us what it's doing and where it's sitting. If it'll run, it's ninety minutes down I-88 and I-294 and we'll have the part waiting. If it won't, we're on our way — about an hour and a half to West Chicago.
Five minutes off the interstate and about ten from where I-80, I-94 and I-90 come together, with a gated lot for trucks that have to sit.