Here are my thoughts....for what they're worth:
Yes on the brake fluid. Like the other guys say ...it attracts moisture. Car's I've seen/owned/worked-on which had the BF changed once or twice over yrs in their life ...even 20 year old brake calipers can look brand new inside if ya pop out a piston (to look at the condition) ...even if they're rusty outside. I mean, they'll look like the day they were built. The whole system will look like that. Systems which weren't flushed a few times, can be full of rust in the caliper bores. So it DOES make a difference. It helps reduce brake repair costs and increases reliability. If that's where you want your truck to be in 10 more years, definitely have the fluid changed. And repeat in another 6yrs or so. As a benefit, your brakes may feel firmer too. In addition, it's an easy job to do if the shop has a brake exchange machine, which they probably do. Make sure they cycle the ABS pump half way through and continue to bleed again. (b/c you want that fluid removed too).
Tranny fluid is a toss-up in my mind. It is synthetic. Probably doesn't need it, but can't hurt. For one, you'd be removing any shavings and other material in the fluid. Again, good for longevity. But you have to make sure they do it 'Right'. And if you read through the posts, you'll find that a lot of shops workers' don't do it 'correctly'. If they do a crappy "quickie" job, it would be worse than leaving the old correct-level fluid in there. It's a pretty involved process unlike most traditional vehicles which is a PITA to do (the kind of 'detail-requiring' job shops HATE to do!). You might find it's real expensive to do also. Very expensive. Do some searches or watch some videos on the process ...learn what I'm saying, so you can stay there at the shop
and WATCH with your own eyes to make sure they do it 'right'. Be prepared to hit the 'stop button' if they aren't doing it right. I might put that off a couple more yrs if it were mine. But certainly can't hurt.
Coolant for sure. Coolant pH changes over time. THAT is the core issue with coolant and the hidden root of many cooling problems. You want to keep it in a pH range where it won't 'eat' anything (e.g. ..heater core). Here's the thing. Some of your truck's cooling system contains Iron (engine block), some contains Aluminum (heater core/radiator). They each like different areas of the pH scale. There's a very narrow 'Overlap' of each metal where the pH is "happy" where one doesn't give up electrons -- about 8.9 pH. Do some googling of it..you'll see. Yes there are inhibitors which help extend the range but AL and FE like different ends of the pH spectrum. SO.... replace the coolant and the *ideal* is to have someone who know's what they're doing make sure it's VERY close to that range (by using a
calibrated digital pH tester ...not strips) using the right coolant and
distilled water (not tap water). Unfortunately almost no shops are going to give you that level of detail, unless you have a crackin-good mechanic. And, Yes, the tester needs to be calibrated -- it's a must. Not calibrated last week or 5 days ago ....but calibrated often using at least 2 pre-bought calibration solutions. Then you can be assured your heater core doesn't secretly become the system anode (which it will someday if you dont take care) ... till one day you smell coolant in the cab.
In the industrial food/manufacturing institutional settings where they have very expensive hot water (or steam) boilers and equipment, they check and LOG hot water pH levels at LEAST once a day with a digital tester ...if not continuous real-time monitoring. And they continually adjust chemicals and maintain the proper pH for the system they have (depending on the type of metals most prevalant). Not doing so can result in a million dollar mistake and lost production. That's how critical it is. I check my boiler system regularly, and have 3x calibrated digital pH testers to verify I'm getting a good reading. I test my vehicles once a yr and adjust with a pinch or two of sodium hydroxide or citric acid, depending on which way I need to move the pH. Get that right and you'll likely never have cooling system problems. Unfortunately there's probably not a dealership in the land that'll do that correctly unless you get a Master Mechanic on your truck and you had a pre-conversation with him.
Spark Plug Inspection. Ideally, if it were my truck I would personally remove them and inspect. Spark plug electrode colors and condition tells a 'story'. I would expect yours to be good, but you never know. It's been 10 yrs. You could have a plug or two with a damaged electrode. But it would be good to at least inspect them. Put the good ones back in...and if one needs replacing...replace that one. At the same time, I would also 'carefully' inspect the coil stems for any cracks or electrical traces. A guy can have an (invisible) cracked coil stem or micro-hole where a spark can leak through to ground and cause a 'miss' (you'd see traces of sparking on the coil stem). And ohm them all out.
The problem is, a shop would charge plenty to do that. Most shops want to install new parts, and they'll probably overcharge you for new plugs anyway which you don't need. AND, you'll probably have a rookie mechanic doing the job (because it doesn't take a master tech to remove/inspect plugs) who might just drop one of your old plugs on the concrete... blow the dust off, look around the shop to see if anyone saw him ...then put the plug back in your truck. Such a mechanic may not know what to look for on the coils. Soo... thinking about it as I write it, I guess the 'right' thing to do is to maybe leave them, read the codes FIRST and see what if anything comes up. Maybe hold off on the plugs unless the codes indicate it, or the surging continues or gets worse after all the other work has been done. But if you have a really good mechanic with his head screwed on straight, and the cost isn't too much, I'd have them inspect the plugs if the chugging continues. For guys doing their own maintenance, its a good thing to inspect.
Diff Fluid: Good idea to have changed. Easy enough to do.
Other Maintenance:
Clean Throttle Bore: I would definitely have the shop inspect/ clean the throttle-body bore and butterfly valve front and back. Those get gummed-up and carboned just from driving and starting, etc. Normal maintenance. Maybe yours is clean ...maybe there's a dried-fuel ring where the throttle blade is?? It's easy to clean up with a soft solvent-safe brush and some TB spray cleaner. Even a small amt of build-up on either side can cause stumble, usually at idle. So have them do that.
Battery Terminals/Electrical: Have them test the battery with a load tester. And clean the terminals. Also push the fuses down ...sometimes they work themselves up on their own. These trucks are very sensitive to weak electrical connections... so good to have that done. Replace the battery if needed.
PVC and vacuum hoses: Rubber tends to get old, hard and brittle or even 'gummy' and crack ....due to age and repeated heat/cool cycles ...and oil exposure. I would have the shop "Carefully" look over the vacuum hoses and do a vac check. Same with the PCV valve/hose/system.
Air Filter: Have them install a new Mopar air filter...or equivalent if it needs it.
Tires/Brakes: Have them checked. IDK how your 10 year old tires look, but they might look good, maybe not. Some tires seem to age-crack quicker than others. If yours show any signs of issues whatsoever, probably ought to get them replaced, even if they have good tread.
Quick Story: I used to be "Oh that's overblown" kind of guy on older tires. However ....On a snow plow vehicle (Jeep) I have, I had 6 exact same Goodyear tires. I figured it would be good to have spares. They were about 9 years old. Generally looked good. Plenty of tread. Well, they were developing some cracks around the outside edge of the tire and around the tread blocks. Not alarming cracks. I didn't think it was that severe, esp for just plowing snow. And honestly, I only do my own properties which are a couple rural (slow) miles away from each other ..and a few neighbors' drives. One day, while plowing snow, one went flat. It was on the sidewall facing inward. The part which doesn't get any direct sunlight and didn't look cracked. Ok. Changed it. Glad I had the spare. Then a week or two later, same thing, different tire. Inside sidewall. You know what? In a short time 3 tires cracked on the inside sidewall which is an area there were NO visible cracks. And what happened is they developed a 2" long opening/tear. The rubber just became degraded. And once I had the tire off and put my fingers through the rubber you tell it was dry rubber, even though the inside sidewall didn't look terrible. Very likely would have resulted in a blow-out had I been going down the road fast, esp on a hot summer day. So I replaced them all.
Story #2: My boss bought a restored Chevelle. Drove it to work a couple days after he bought it to show us. Had a blow-out on the interstate. Big flap of tread came off. Really f'ed-up his quarter panel. Fortunately it was a rear tire so he didn't lose control. Tires didn't look too bad. Someone checked, they were ~15 y/o tires. Rubber has an age limit. Some more than others. So... you have a heavy truck. I encourage you to look into replacing the tires for your and your family's safety.
Warm tip: Be real sure when the shop is finished they don't put the rubber snorkel on hastily. When I got my truck someone had put the snorkel hose on wonky (folded under the clamp ...allowing some fresh air past the clamp). That's just the kind of thing a hurried mechanic at a shop would do. Ya almost need to double-check their work.
Best regards!!
