Maintenance:
The DOT requires that you have and maintain a maintenance plan for performing regular maintenance on your trucks. Whether you have 1 truck or 25 trucks having a plan will keep you in compliance and reduce road repairs. The DOT does tell us what has to be in our maintenance plan, but they expect us to have a written plan, follow it, and keep records of the repairs. Here are some suggestions to help you get started developing your maintenance plan. What suggestions do you have for your fellow TruckingOffice members?
1. Oil Changes. Create an interval for your oil changes depending on how many miles you drive in a month. You may want to set it up to change once a month to start with then make adjustments to the interval until you find the interval setting that works best for you.
2. Safety Checks. On a driver’s log book the drivers a required to do a daily pretrip inspection, however you may want to have a regular mechanical safety check. Whether you do it your self or have a shop do it having a regular safety check up will help you catch problems at home. Then they are not catching up with you on the road. If you do it your self you should have a written checklist that you check and keep a written record of the checks and the problems that you find.
3. Air Filters. Air filters are often overlooked. A clogged air filter can dramatically effect your fuel mileage. Set up a regular interval to change your air filter. With the rising cost of diesel we should make every effort to get the best mileage possible.
The DOT requires that you have and maintain a maintenance plan for performing regular maintenance on your trucks. Whether you have 1 truck or 25 trucks having a plan will keep you in compliance and reduce road repairs. The DOT does tell us what has to be in our maintenance plan, but they expect us to have a written plan, follow it, and keep records of the repairs. Here are some suggestions to help you get started developing your maintenance plan. What suggestions do you have for your fellow TruckingOffice members?
1. Oil Changes. Create an interval for your oil changes depending on how many miles you drive in a month. You may want to set it up to change once a month to start with then make adjustments to the interval until you find the interval setting that works best for you.
2. Safety Checks. On a driver’s log book the drivers a required to do a daily pretrip inspection, however you may want to have a regular mechanical safety check. Whether you do it your self or have a shop do it having a regular safety check up will help you catch problems at home. Then they are not catching up with you on the road. If you do it your self you should have a written checklist that you check and keep a written record of the checks and the problems that you find.
3. Air Filters. Air filters are often overlooked. A clogged air filter can dramatically effect your fuel mileage. Set up a regular interval to change your air filter. With the rising cost of diesel we should make every effort to get the best mileage possible.
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