Most of the time the starter will give you notice that it's time to replace the contacts. Since you're in Alaska it would be a good idea to start stocking up on the spares that could leave your truck disabled.
The starter contacts can be "trail repaired" in a pinch. Mine failed on a Sunday morning with the truck in my garage. I pulled the starter, used a file and emory cloth to clean the positive and negative contacts. Then I reversed the two contacts and cleaned the plunger. This fix lasted over 6 months and the next time it failed I had the parts on hand and was past the learning curve on R&R. I'm not recommending this method but it might come in handy for you or others.