Q: Brakes frozen, bad wheel bearing?

This may be a stuck brake caliper which may cause a bit of brake drag. Sometimes when this happens, it may be just one caliper on one side which will be noticed by the fact that the truck may pull to one side due to one caliper working harder than the other.

A wheel bearing will usually fail due to pitting or small damage on the surface of the rollers or the bearing race. Both the surface of the rollers and the race is precision machined to tight tolerances and highly polished to allow the rollers to pass easily over the race with the addition of bearing grease for lubrication and cooling. Over time the bearing will wear slightly, allowing microscopic pieces of metal into the grease. Bearing noise can sound a lot like a brake pad dragging or grinding. It can also sound like whirring, whining or humming depending on how much sound deadening material your vehicle has in it. Bearing noise will always be dependent on vehicle speed meaning as you speed up or slow down the noise should change frequency or loudness. Cornering may affect the noise from a damaged front wheel bearing and is usually more pronounced as you make turns. I would suggest having a professional from Your Mechanic come to your location to take a look at the vehicle and check your wheel bearings for failure.

Hello - yes, this could be brake issue (emergency brake stuck "engaged"), and a bad wheel bearing also, although it’s unusual that a wheel bearing would freeze solid. I would recommend an inspection of the brakes and wheel bearings by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs. This will help ensure safe and reliable operation on your trip.