Maintenance
Extend your vehicle life and keep your truck on the road with maintenance tips from the experts
As an owner operator or a fleet manager, it is crucial to understand all of the costs incurred when your vehicle is down. Even if you have a guaranteed maintenance lease where you are not charged for the repairs, there is still a cost for a breakdown. You are paying for an asset you cannot use. You are paying insurance on an asset you cannot use. You are paying a driver to sit on the side of the road. Or if you are an owner operator, you are not generating any revenue. Your customer might reject the load and/ or might not hire you again so you face potential loss of future revenue.
Reducing breakdowns and improving vehicle up-time is crucial to keeping your customers and your drivers.
The Real Cost Of Vehicle Down-Time
Proactive maintenance focuses on scheduled preventive work designed to reduce the chances of a breakdown. Sometimes even replacing components before they fail, based on mileage and history. It is a lot cheaper to replace a part while your truck is already in the shop for a scheduled visit compared to breaking down with a hot load, paying for towing and road service and losing a customer.
Reactive maintenance is waiting for something to happen then bringing your vehicle to the dealer for service once something needs a repair. Expect days and weeks of waiting before anyone even looks at your vehicle right now.
Tip #1- Go with all virgin tires. Yes they are more expensive than retreads but they last much longer and are much safer. When you blowout a retread, who knows what else you could damage. Not to mention the lost driving time while you wait to replace the tire.
Tip #2- Pay for a Tire Pressure Management System. From the factory they can add $500-$1,500 to the cost of your vehicle but they are invaluable. Properly inflated tires can save .25 mpg. that adds up quickly. Plus, noticing low tire pressure can avoid costly blowouts and long delays waiting for a tire vendor to make a road call
