Photo from Unsplash

Originally Posted On: https://a1fleetservice.com/master-fleet-maintenance-how-to-prevent-breakdown-in-your-18-wheeler-trucks/

Master Fleet Maintenance: How to Prevent Breakdown in Your 18-Wheeler Trucks

The average 18-wheeler truck will last for about 750,000 miles, though this can vary quite a lot depending on several factors.

It’s important to take good care of your fleet if you want to prevent truck breakdowns. This will help you maximize the lifespan of each vehicle, resulting in a better ROI overall. Reliable fleet services can help you keep your trucks in the best state, reducing the risk of breakdowns.

Let’s go over some key diesel truck maintenance tips that explain how fleet service in Houston can benefit your business.

The Importance of 18 Wheeler Truck Care

18 wheeler trucks get a lot of use, and even if they’re always driven properly, wear and tear will take a toll. Pulling heavy loads for long hours puts strain on these vehicles, and they can be exposed to a range of weather conditions. If minor issues aren’t dealt with quickly, they can grow into major problems.

Preventative maintenance is vital if you want to be able to identify and address problems before they get much worse. This will help keep your fleet operational and efficient.

Why Routine Maintenance Is Crucial

Routine maintenance hugely reduces the risk of unexpected breakdowns that can cause business interruptions. Even a single breakdown can have a noticeable knock-on effect, so being able to avoid this is very beneficial.

Regular inspections and tune-ups will ensure all of your trucks are operating at maximum efficiency. As a result, they’ll have better fuel economy and lower emissions. This will reduce your fuel costs as well as your carbon footprint, both of which are more important today than ever before.

During routine maintenance, a professional technician will be able to determine if any parts are worn out or close to failure. This is especially important for things like brakes or seatbelts as it ensures all of your trucks are as safe as they can be on the road.

If your vehicles start breaking down, you won’t be able to transport goods effectively. This can impact your business reputation, and you may end up losing clients/customers as a result. A well-maintained fleet will help you maintain an image of trust and reliability.

Benefits of a Preventative Maintenance Checklist

Any successful business relies on effective organization. A preventative maintenance checklist can help you stay on top of things and ensure your fleet is always functional and ready.

By following a checklist, you can track all maintenance history for your entire fleet. This will help you identify any patterns or recurring issues. You may then be able to determine the cause of these so you can take action to prevent the same problems in the future.

Using a checklist, you can establish optimal intervals for specific maintenance work. This will help you keep maintenance costs to a minimum as you’ll only be paying for work as and when it’s needed.

You can also implement a driver inspection into your checklist. Drivers can perform specific checks at the start and end of every drive to look for early signs of trouble. This promotes a culture of vigilance, responsibility, and safety, and can help highlight unexpected issues.

When first implementing a preventative maintenance checklist, it may not be the most efficient. By observing your fleet and tracking maintenance over an extended period, you can look for areas of improvement. This will allow you to optimize your checklist for the best results while implementing cost-saving opportunities.

Implementing Your Preventative Maintenance Plan

Every business operates differently, so a preventative maintenance checklist that another company uses might not work for you. It’s worth taking the time to develop a checklist that will meet your needs.

Assessing Your Fleet

Start by taking inventory of your entire fleet. Compile a list of all of your vehicles including specific details like their make, model, mileage, year, and any additional modifications or equipment. This information will help you plan and prioritize maintenance as trucks that have seen more use are likely to need more care.

You also want to make sure you have the details of any previous repairs for each vehicle. This will give clearer insights into common issues so you can identify problem areas.

An inventory list will make it easier to identify and track patterns. This can help you make better-informed decisions about maintenance and repairs.

Creating an Effective Maintenance Schedule

With a detailed inventory list, you can start making a maintenance schedule. Ensure it’s realistic and efficient by taking important factors into account. These can include:

• The size of your fleet
• Average mileage
• Manufacturer-recommended maintenance

You can plan out maintenance on different vehicles over specific periods. This will ensure you can keep enough vehicles in circulation at all times rather than having to take a large number of trucks out of operation simultaneously.

Implement a calendar or scheduling system so you know exactly when each truck is due for maintenance. Review and update this regularly so you can stay on top of things and make any changes that are needed.

Encouraging Self-Checks for Early Detection

The most effective preventative maintenance plans involve drivers. They’re the ones using the trucks, so they often have the best insights into their condition.

You should encourage drivers to carry out regular self-checks before and after each trip they make. This helps encourage safety and will improve early detection of maintenance issues. Create clear checklists that drivers can follow to carry out inspections so they can check everything that’s needed with ease.

This is something that’s relatively easy to implement, but it can have a significant impact on the efficiency and reliability of your fleet.

Professional 18 Wheeler Fleet Services in Houston, TX

Preventative maintenance will keep your 18 wheeler fleet in good working order at all times and help you save money on maintenance and repair work in the long run. Following the best practices is ideal if you want to get the most out of your vehicles.

A1 Fleet Service provides professional fleet repair in Houston, TX. We’ve served more than 400 businesses over the last 23 years and have achieved 99% customer satisfaction. Contact us today to learn more about our professional fleet services.