diff --git a/src/meshTools/searchableSurfaces/triSurfaceMesh/triSurfaceMesh.C b/src/meshTools/searchableSurfaces/triSurfaceMesh/triSurfaceMesh.C
index b799619562..af5db52e6f 100644
--- a/src/meshTools/searchableSurfaces/triSurfaceMesh/triSurfaceMesh.C
+++ b/src/meshTools/searchableSurfaces/triSurfaceMesh/triSurfaceMesh.C
@@ -450,7 +450,11 @@ Foam::triSurfaceMesh::triSurfaceMesh(const IOobject& io, const readAction r)
             // Check where surface was found
             const fileName localFile(io.localFilePath(typeName));
 
-            if (r == masterOnly && (actualFile != localFile))
+            if
+            (
+                r == masterOnly
+             && ((actualFile.empty() || actualFile != localFile))
+            )
             {
                 // Found undecomposed surface. Load on master only
                 if (Pstream::master())
@@ -563,10 +567,18 @@ Foam::triSurfaceMesh::triSurfaceMesh
 
         if (searchGlobal && Pstream::parRun())
         {
-            // Check where surface was found
+            // Check where surface was found. Bit tricky:
+            // - master will have actualFile (in parent directory)
+            //   different from localFilePath (in processor0/)
+            // - slave might have actualFile empty and localFile empty
+
             const fileName localFile(io.localFilePath(typeName));
 
-            if (r == masterOnly && (actualFile != localFile))
+            if
+            (
+                r == masterOnly
+             && ((actualFile.empty() || actualFile != localFile))
+            )
             {
                 // Surface not loaded from processor directories -> undecomposed
                 // surface. Load on master only
diff --git a/src/parallel/distributed/distributedTriSurfaceMesh/distributedTriSurfaceMesh.C b/src/parallel/distributed/distributedTriSurfaceMesh/distributedTriSurfaceMesh.C
index adfbaa4854..cdb27f6f36 100644
--- a/src/parallel/distributed/distributedTriSurfaceMesh/distributedTriSurfaceMesh.C
+++ b/src/parallel/distributed/distributedTriSurfaceMesh/distributedTriSurfaceMesh.C
@@ -2642,11 +2642,16 @@ Foam::distributedTriSurfaceMesh::distributedTriSurfaceMesh(const IOobject& io)
 
     bounds().reduce();
 
-    const fileName actualFile(triSurfaceMesh::checkFile(io, true));
+    // Try and find out where the triSurface was loaded from. On slave this
+    // might give empty filename.
+    const fileName actualFile(triSurfaceMesh::findFile(io, true));
 
     if
     (
-        actualFile != io.localFilePath(triSurfaceMesh::typeName)
+        (
+            actualFile.empty()
+         || actualFile != io.localFilePath(triSurfaceMesh::typeName)
+        )
      && (distType_ == INDEPENDENT || distType_ == DISTRIBUTED)
     )
     {
@@ -2779,11 +2784,16 @@ Foam::distributedTriSurfaceMesh::distributedTriSurfaceMesh
 
     bounds().reduce();
 
-    const fileName actualFile(triSurfaceMesh::checkFile(io, dict, true));
+    // Try and find out where the triSurface was loaded from. On slave this
+    // might give empty filename.
+    const fileName actualFile(triSurfaceMesh::findFile(io, dict, true));
 
     if
     (
-        actualFile != io.localFilePath(triSurfaceMesh::typeName)
+        (
+            actualFile.empty()
+         || actualFile != io.localFilePath(triSurfaceMesh::typeName)
+        )
      && (distType_ == INDEPENDENT || distType_ == DISTRIBUTED)
     )
     {