Most U Joints on vehicles last between 150,000 to 200,000 miles before they go bad.
However I've replaced U Joints on a Chevy Truck that were original and the truck had 350,000 miles on it but the truck did mostly highway driving.
The more off road driving you do the less miles the U Joints will last because driving off road can tear the U Joints up faster.
If I'm planning on a long haul road trip longer than 1,000 miles or more then I will replace the U Joints as preventative maintenance if the U Joints have more than 150,000 miles on them.
U Joints are pretty cheap and easy to replace on most vehicles so it's worth it to have piece of mind.
Usually you'll hear a banging sound from your U Joints when they go bad when you put the vehicle in reverse or drive.
You can also move the driveshaft back and forth and feel for any play and listen for any clicking sounds.
If you do hear any clicking sounds or banging sounds and there is quite a bit of play in the U Joints then they need replaced.