The Top Ten Preventative Maintenance Tips for Trucks

Category: Equipment and Solutions

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Preventative maintenance is the best way to keep your fleet of trucks running reliably and reduce the risk of breakdown. Here at NMC Truck Centers, we have helped many customers create their own personalized preventative maintenance plan tailored to their trucks and the type of driving they do.

Here are the top ten preventative maintenance tips that we suggest all trucking businesses follow:

1. Check fluid levels:

Verifying your engine oil, coolant, transmission, brake, power steering and other underhood fluids only takes a few minutes and is an easy way to avoid major problems. If you see a drop in a fluid level between checks, it&#;s a good indication that you have a consumption or leak problem and can fix it before it becomes a major problem.

2. Change fluids:

The frequency for changing your fluids will depend on how many miles you drive, the weight of the loads you carry and the type of driving you do (highway, dusty roads, city traffic, etc.) Always follow the manufacturer&#;s suggestions for changing fluids. Trying to get extra life out of your fluids may save in the short term but cost you big in repairs and breakdowns later on.

3. Verify tire pressures:

Any trucker will tell you that tire pressure is critical to check often on your large truck or tractor-trailer. Your tires are your contact with the road and you want them inflated properly to avoid uneven wear, maximize fuel economy and provide optimum traction, braking and load-carrying ability at all times.

4. Check your tires:

Uneven tire wear can be related to tire pressure issues or problems with your alignment or suspension. Include a check of your tire condition and tread depth as part of your preventative maintenance plan. We all know how dangerous a tire blowout can be on the highway, so avoid the cost, delay and danger of a blowout by inspecting your tires often.

5. Inspect your brakes:

When you&#;re carrying a full load, you want to be sure you can get stopped safely. Frequently check your brakes and replace them when they reach the minimum wear condition. Also look for even wear side to side and front to back. This can be a sign that your brake system isn&#;t balanced and requires repairs or adjustment to provide correct braking performance.

6. Check air filters:

A clean air filter can go a long way toward reducing your fuel consumption and helping your engine run more smoothly. As a filter gets clogged, it can reduce the amount of air getting into your engine, reducing power and lowering fuel economy. Inspect and change your air filter at regular intervals and check more often if you often drive on dirty, dusty roads.

7. Do a battery load test and electrical system verification:

Long-distance driving and frequent stops and starts put your truck&#;s electrical system to the test. It is a good idea to add your battery, alternator and electrical system to your preventative maintenance list for a yearly check. If you operate in colder climates, a check before winter is the best way to avoid charging problems.

8. Inspect your gearbox and clutch:

The combination of high-torque engines and heavy loads mean your gearbox and clutch are worked hard every time you hit the road. A regular inspection of your gearbox and verification that it is functioning properly can help you catch problems as they arise. You will also want to ensure that your clutch isn&#;t slipping, as this can affect reliability and fuel economy.

9. Check out your exterior lighting:

A quick walk-around verification of your exterior lighting helps you catch burnt out bulbs and replace them before you hit the road. Avoid being pulled over and wasting time over a burnt bulb and check that all of your running, brake, signal and hazard lights are working properly as part of your preventative maintenance.

10. Service your fifth wheel platform:

Problems with your fifth wheel platform can slow you down and even keep your truck off the road if you can&#;t securely hook up your trailer. On a regular basis, you should inspect your platform and grease/adjust as necessary. Clean any accumulated dirt from the platform mechanism and inspect for excessive wear or components that need to be replaced.

Every trucking company has a unique fleet of trucks and trailers and needs to adapt their preventative maintenance list to suit their situation. Including these ten tips in your list will help ensure your trucks run more reliably and are less susceptible to breakdown.

Our team here at NMC Truck Centers has years of experience with truck and tractor-trailer service and maintenance, so let us know if you have any questions about creating your own preventative maintenance checklist. Get the most out of your fleet and save time and money by putting in a bit of effort upfront in your preventative maintenance plan.

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TOP 10 LIFTED TRUCK QUESTIONS

What You Need to Know About These Beasts

 Lifted trucks may look like big, scary beasts. But in reality, they&#;re very timid and, if cared for properly, will give you years of enjoyment and plenty of love in return. With regular feedings of gas or diesel, they will grow to an impressive size in no time at all! They love playing in the mud as much as they do getting a bath, making them perfect for city dwellers and country folk alike. 

Is a lifted truck right for your family? You&#;ll be happy to hear that the answer is probably &#;yes&#;! You probably have questions, and we have some answers. These are the top 10 questions we&#;ve received about lifted trucks, and our take on them.

Are lifted trucks safe?

Just like any vehicle, a lifted truck is only as safe as the quality of its parts. If you&#;re thinking about buying &#;eBay&#; lift parts (a.k.a., cheap parts with zero quality control from a random overseas supplier), expect some problems. A good, well-engineered kit from a well-known company is what you want, because they&#;ve spent the time and money to ensure that their parts operate as intended and can actually survive going off-road.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website All Truck and Trailer Parts.

And yes, lifted trucks can be more susceptible to rollovers because of their higher center of gravity, but wide negative-offset wheels tend to negate that issue for the most part unless you&#;re going sky high. But the biggest concern could very well be the brakes, since oversized tires can severely impact stopping power. An upgraded brake setup will help fill up those big wheels and bring you to a stop in a hurry, which is especially important to prevent rear-ending that car with the rear bumper that&#;s 4 feet below your front bumper!

Are lifted trucks legal?

Like, legal legal? The answer is yes, no, and everything in between. Depending on the city and state, the laws can differ greatly. Some states like Texas are very lenient; others are much more strict (yeah, you already know we&#;re talking about California). Living in California, this author can tell you that lifted trucks are still everywhere in sight, and the law enforcement in the town where I live tends to follow the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law.

Some laws regarding lifted trucks target the actual height of the truck (often bumper height), while other laws target the equipment. For example, front lift blocks are illegal in some states, but some states have no laws at all when it comes to modifying your suspension. When in doubt, check your local laws to find out.

Are lifted trucks bad in snow?

Quite the contrary! One of the main benefits of a lifted truck is greatly improved undercarriage clearance, which is a huge plus in snow. Not only does the lift itself provide more clearance, but adding taller tires also adds more room between snow and your chassis.

Can lifted trucks tow?

In general, lifted trucks don&#;t sacrifice much towing capacity and can tow just about as well as a stock truck when properly equipped. The major issue tends to be hitch-to-trailer angle, as a lifted truck with a standard hitch just won&#;t line up with most trailers. The solution is a drop hitch that is rated to handle whatever it is you&#;re towing and keep your trailer level. You&#;re going to spend a bit more for a quality drop hitch, but the peace of mind is definitely worth it!

Who drives lifted trucks?

Bro, do you even bro, bro? It&#;s no secret that the stereotypical lifted truck owner, historically speaking, is a younger to middle-aged dude with an abundance of black socks and flat-billed hats, but that&#;s not (always) the case! Everyone from students to cops drives lifted trucks&#; Wait, they also sometimes have black socks and flat-billed hats, but that&#;s not the point. The point is that a large variety of people drive lifted trucks!

Why lift trucks?

As The Dude would say, &#;Just take it easy, man&#;&#; Not everything needs a reason, but if you&#;ve gotta have some, here ya go:

• They look rad.
• Having a lifted truck means being instant friends with anyone else who has a lifted truck.
• If you lift it high enough, people will stop asking you to help them move.
• You can finally take pics of your kid inside your 26×14 reverse offset wheels to post on Instagram.
• You can easily find it in a parking lot.

Why do lifted trucks ride rough?

CWhile it&#;s true that many lifted trucks from days long gone tended to ride rough, that&#;s not really the case anymore. Unless you&#;re rollin&#; an early &#;80s Toyota with five Rancho shocks at each corner, you can expect a decently comfortable ride from today&#;s lifted trucks assuming you&#;re using a quality kit. That being said, don&#;t expect giant wheels shod with low-profile tires to help if your truck already rides rough. A decent-sized sidewall can work wonders for ride quality, as can a set of good shocks.

Why are lifted trucks higher in the front?

Can we get this out of the way? They shouldn&#;t be. Maybe the trend started with prerunners and got out of hand from there, but the Cali Lean (or Carolina Squat, depending on where you live) has jumped the shark and serves no practical purpose on any street-driven truck aside from making people stare and wonder why you didn&#;t finish lifting your truck. Oohhh, now we get it&#;it&#;s for the haterz! Just don&#;t do it and everything will be fine.

Do lifted trucks have more problems?

Lifted trucks aren&#;t typically going to have more issues than, say, a lowered truck, but it&#;s possible that a lifted truck might have problems due to installer error. You really should make sure that everything is tight and in good shape every few months. While most of us probably won&#;t do it, preventative maintenance is the best solution no matter what suspension is under your truck. Some lift kits reuse some of the factory suspension parts, so keep in mind that even though your lift kit might be new, your original stock parts aren&#;t and probably have quite a few miles on them already. Also, if you drive your truck like a savage, expect things to wear more quickly. So yeah, a lifted truck could have some problems depending on the situation, but we know of lifted trucks that have been on the road for many years without any issues at all.

Will airbags work on lifted trucks?

Whether you&#;re looking for more towing capacity or adding some adjustability to your ride height, airbags will definitely work on a lifted truck. Many helper bag kit manufacturers offer spacers for use with lifted trucks, but if you want to add airbags to be able to raise or drop your truck, you may have to have a custom suspension built unless you happen to own a truck that companies such as Kelderman make a kit for. In either case, airbags will add another level of enjoyment for your lifted truck!

 

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Wholesale Truck Accessories Suppliers. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.