When you are running a commercial trucking business, the last thing that you want is any of your fleet of trucks breaking down on the road. The more your business picks up business, the more you need to rely on your trucks to get from A to B without too much trouble. The thing is, you get out of your fleet what you put in and if you’re not ensuring that your trucks are regularly maintained, you’re going to end up splashing more cash than is necessary to ensure that it’s on the road and steady.
Trucks should be able to continue running as part of your compliance for your business, and the last thing that you want is for your insurance to be affected if your truck isn’t running properly. If you have more than one truck, you need them all to remain well maintained and with the help of companies like M&L Truck Service, you can ensure that this is the case. Below, we’ve put together the things that you should be checking off every week to keep your trucks on the road, running as well as possible. Let’s take a look!
- ‘t something you necessarily need to do every week – in fact, it’s better to do it every six months. However, it’s not a bad idea to keep an eye on the oil levels in your trucks, all of them! To ensure that your truck lives for longer, you need to make sure that your truck’s oil levels are where they should be and that the oil is fresh. Ideally, you have a bunch of new trucks as part of your fleet, but if you have older trucks with a higher mileage, you should ensure that you have oil filters changed with the oil. Getting an expert to tell you whether you need an oil change is so important, as you will also be able to pick the best oil for your trucking needs.
- Get The Tyres Rotated. Again, not something that you need to do every week, but when you have trucks going long distances, your tyres matter. Your trucks will see a lot of pressure on the road every single day and with every single mile. So, what you need to do is ensure that you are rotating your tyres as often as you are changing your oil. This will ensure that they wear evenly. You cannot avoid wear and tear with your tyres, but you can ensure that your tyres are rotated at the right intervals. The front tyres of the trucks will see the most wear here, but rotating helps them to stay “alive” for longer, which is more cost-effective for you than shifting the tyres every time they are worn down too much. The maintenance team that you use for your trucks will be able to help here, so you won’t have to rotate them yourself if you don’t know how to.
- Balance Those Tyres. Along with rotating your tyres, you need to have them balanced by the experts. When the weight of the tyre is equal around the axel, your tyres are appropriately balanced. Until then, though, you will have unbalanced tyres that wear unevenly and with each bump in the road, they’ll shift even further out of balance. Trucks often go off-road, and that comes with potholes and bounces that you may not expect. These bounces come with increased hits to your suspension. If your tyres will ever need to be replaced or patched, this is when you can have the experts check the balance, too.
- Align your Trucks. When was the last time you noticed that your trucks were pulling to one side or another? It’s obvious when this happens, so you should consider getting the wheels aligned when this occurs. Driving over those rough roads? They can increase a misalignment, and if your wheels are whacky, you need to realize that there will be more wear on the truck overall. Alignment matters for safe driving, and you can get this checked when you do your maintenance checks.
- Let There Be Light. Driving long distances means that you need to have your lights on and working properly – all of them. Monthly checks on your bulbs inside and outside the trucks really are necessary. Checking all of the lights at the correct strength is important because if any are dimming, there could be an electrical problem with the car. This can be dangerous, and burned-out lights can void your insurance and lead to huge fines: neither of which you want! Keep the glove boxes of all trucks stocked with fuses and bulbs for a quick change, and have all of your drivers aware of how to do this when they’re on the road, too.
- Fluid Levels – Where Are They? All fluids in the trucks, from the water for the window washers to the gas in the tank, should be high. Engine oil should be at the right level and the engine should be cold before you check on it! The same should be said for the radiators – wait for it to be cold before you check the fluid. You don’t want to end up being burned just for checking on the fluid. Windshield washer fluid may need topping up before you can get to your usual maintenance team, too, so keep a jug of the blue stuff in the trucks so you can top up when you need. This is especially necessary in the winter months!
- Get Inspected. You may know how to look at your engine and know what to do, but that doesn’t mean that you should leave out those professional checks. In fact, without those proper maintenance checks, you’re risking your insurance, your business license and more. Technicians are able to spot the issues early and the more that you check with the experts, the better off your trucks will be on the road.
