Being a professional truck driver, keeping your truck in perfect condition must be your top priority. Your truck is the source of your bread and butter, which you want to keep running smoothly at any cost. Preventive maintenance is a great way to ensure your truck’s perfect shape and functioning. Even a minor issue with your truck cannot only put you behind the scheduled time but also hit your pocket hard in terms of repair costs. It’s customary to visit your repair garage at least once a month for regular checkups and inspections that can spot major or minor problems. In this regard, the following are some important that you can follow to keep your truck in perfect shape.
Important Truck Maintenance Tips for Truckers
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Change Your truck’s oil regularly.
Changing your truck’s oil is the most important maintenance measure. Oil is the lifeline to your truck, and if it’s not in fresh form, the engine could develop friction among its parts. Trucks have powerful engines that consistently need a lot of oil to work at maximum efficiency. Although the time after which you should get your oil changed depends on the model and engine power of your truck, a general thumb rule is to change your oil every 7500 miles or a period of six months. Always choose high mileage motor oil. Although it can be a little more expensive than other oils, your truck will work the best.
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Ensure Regular Maintenance of Your tires
Following are some useful tips that will help you ensure the regular maintenance of tires:
- Get your tires rotated almost every time you get an oil change. It’s necessary as your tires wear unevenly (front tires experience more wear than rear tires).
- Check the tire pressure regularly. It’s important to note that tire pressure changes with the weather conditions. Your tires mustn’t be over or under-inflated. Over-inflated tires can get punctured easily, while under-inflated tires can lower your fuel mileage.
- Check your tire tread regularly with the help of a tread gauge.
If your tires are too worn out to work, consider replacing them with high-quality new tires.
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Regular Maintenance of Radiator
If you want your truck to run strongly and smoothly, don’t forget to check the radiator before every trip. Get the radiator immediately repaired if you find any minor leaks or fluids that look low. It’s essential to prevent the engine from overheating. Clean off the radiator regularly to improve the airflow in the fins. That will significantly improve the cooling capacity of the radiator. Regular maintenance of the radiator is essential because even minor damage to it can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars.
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Brakes Inspection
When you’re behind the wheel, the brakes help you control the truck. They act as a safety cushion for you and your truck, especially when you’re carrying freight. Therefore, you must inspect the brakes before hitting the road. Your truck’s brakes must be in good shape if you want to stop safely in minimum time. If you feel any unusual sound coming out of the brakes when you engage them, you should consider getting them checked immediately to avoid paying more in terms of garage-level repairs.
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Inspect the Batteries regularly
The batteries serve as the power source to crank the starter. Besides starting the truck, they also provide power to several accessories under the use of truckers. If batteries fail, your truck won’t start, and you could fall much behind your schedule. Therefore, you must inspect the batteries regularly and replace them with new ones after 3 to 5 years, depending on the weather condition you drive in.
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Keep the Air filters cleaned.
Clean air filters not only improve fuel efficiency but also boost your truck’s functioning. Over time, harmful dust particles and debris from the road continue to accumulate throughout the area of air filters and make a dust cake on them. The dust cake can cause the air filters to clog, which eventually decreases the airflow in the engine and results in reducing its power. By keeping the air filters clean, you can make sure that the engine runs smoothly with lower fuel consumption.
This article was distributed by Datla Logistics. Datla logistics is a freight dispatching company providing dispatching services to owner operators and fleet carrier who have a dry van, reefer unit, box truck or power only.