Semi truck body shop and collision repair in Tacoma, WA

A body shop for commercial trucks is a different trade from a car body shop. The panels are aluminum and fiberglass as often as steel, a trailer is a structure rather than a shell, and the unit has to go back to work legal and square — not just look right in the parking lot. We do truck body repair on tractors, trailers and box trucks at our own shop on the Tacoma tideflats.

What comes through the body shop

Most truck body repair starts at the panel. We work with aluminum, steel and fiberglass body panels, which covers most of what gets hit on a working truck: cab and sleeper panels, doors, fenders, bumpers, hoods and the fiberglass that cracks the moment it touches a dock or a gate post. Dents get worked rather than replaced where the panel will take it, because a repaired panel is cheaper and faster than a part that has to be ordered.

We repair both truck and trailer bodies. That matters more than it sounds: plenty of shops will do the tractor and hand you the trailer back untouched, and a trailer with a torn side, a bent rear frame or a door that no longer closes is just as out of service as a truck that will not start.

Collision damage, and how we look at it

After any real hit, the first job is finding out whether the damage stopped at the sheet metal. We check for frame damage and correct misalignment before anyone talks about panels or paint, because straightening a cab over a frame that is still out of line gets you a truck that looks finished and pulls to one side forever. If the frame needs work, that is the conversation we have first.

Cracks and structural repairs get welded — see how we handle frame cracks and structural welding. If a repair is going to change how the unit behaves loaded, we say so instead of quoting it.

Box truck body repair

Box truck body repair is its own job, because a box body takes a specific kind of beating: roof panels torn open by a low canopy, rear frames and roll doors bent at the dock, cracked corner posts, rub rails and the plywood or composite lining behind them. Delivery fleets in the Kent and Fife valley run these hard, and a box that will not close is a truck that cannot load. We repair the body, the door hardware and the structure around it.

Turnaround, and what it depends on

Honest answer: it depends on the damage, and we aim for fast turnaround rather than promising a number we cannot hold. A worked dent and a panel we have on hand is a different job from a cab corner that needs a part ordered and a frame checked first. What we will do is look at it, tell you which of those it is, and give you a real date instead of an optimistic one.

Paint, after the body work

Body work and paint are two stages of one job, and the prep is most of the difference between a repair that lasts and one that lifts in a year. We paint cabs and trailers, match fleet colors and use coatings that guard against corrosion — see the painting page for how that side works and what it takes.

Where we are

The shop is at 1616 E 26th St, Tacoma, WA 98421, on the tideflats minutes from the port terminals, open Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We cover the South Sound out to about 50 miles — Fife, Puyallup, Federal Way, Kent, Auburn, Lakewood, Olympia and Seattle — but body work is shop work, so the unit comes to us.

Common questions

What body panels do you work with?

Aluminum, steel and fiberglass. On a working truck that covers cab and sleeper panels, doors, fenders, bumpers, hoods and fiberglass parts. Where a panel will take it we work the dent rather than replacing the part.

Do you repair trailer bodies as well as trucks?

Yes, we repair both truck and trailer bodies — torn sides, bent rear frames, roll doors and the structure behind them, not just the tractor.

Do you check the frame after a collision?

Yes. We check for frame damage and correct any misalignment before panel work starts, because finishing the body over a frame that is still out of line hides the real problem.

How long will my truck be down?

It depends on the damage, and we aim for fast turnaround. A worked dent with a panel on hand is a different job from a cab corner needing a part ordered and a frame checked. We look at it first and give you a real date.

Do you paint what you repair?

Yes. We paint truck cabs and trailers, match fleet colors and apply coatings that guard against corrosion. Most paint work runs two to four days depending on size and prep.

Do you do body work on the roadside?

No. Body and paint work is shop work — it needs the unit indoors, level and dry. For a breakdown away from the shop, that is our roadside service instead.

Related services

Body and paint are shop work. Everything below runs out of the same bay at 1616 E 26th St, and the same techs do it.

Bring it to 1616 E 26th St, Tacoma, WA 98421 or call (425) 900-6212 and describe the damage — we will tell you what it takes before you commit to anything.