Advice from a heavy truck mechanic for the ultimate maintenance of your truck’s life
In this blog post, the heavy truck mechanics at Ressorts Industriels Inc. / Centre de Camion C.T. CAM Inc. have taken a little time out of their busy schedule to put together an article that will help all truck owners and truck fleet operators maintain the health of their truck for many years to come.
All of that said, let us now, without further ado, discover all of our truck mechanic maintenance tips that will help you save money!
To begin, it must be said that it is essential to the longevity of your truck that you maintain your heavy truck regularly. Over time, doing so will assure that you see the many advantages of doing so, namely: maximizing the profitability of your vehicle. Generally, heavy trucks are subject by law to have a mandatory mechanical inspection throughout the year. The audit of the vehicle’s condition should be conducted regularly, unless there is a PMP (Preventive maintenance program) offered by the SAAQ that is already in place.
A truck mechanic’s regular care will ultimately go over and above any basic compliance standards
The regular preventive care of your heavy vehicle will ultimately assure that the maintenance of it goes well above the basic compliance standards required for all heavy trucks. In fact, the secret to success for any heavy truck owner is to set up a good maintenance schedule that like anything else that is done well over time becomes habit. Any experienced truck mechanic will testify that at the end of the day, this approach will afford the truck owner or operator the most amount of savings in operating the vehicle over time.
Regular checkups of your vehicle may make sense on paper, but then why do so many truck owners or worse fleet owners skip on regular maintenance? Truth told, it’s often due to short sighted thinking with a desire to save money in the present.
On the long term, having a truck mechanic or heavy truck vehicle owner that has been certified by the SAAQ for the Preventive Maintenance Program working on your truck is the best way to go. If the SAAQ recognizes the PMP plan you are enrolled in, then truck owners will no longer have to submit their vehicles to a mandatory inspection. All this to say, saving time will save the vehicle owner money.
Among other things, mechanics that have passed a preventive maintenance examination will bring many benefits to the care of your truck and fleet operation.
Some of the benefits of working with a certified PMP truck mechanic include:
- Make sure skills are kept up to date
- Raise awareness of good driving habits to prevent wear & tear
- Prepare a road map of the preventive work to be done on your heavy vehicle
- Include daily inspection tasks (whenever possible)
- Respect manufacturers’ recommendations in terms of frequency of checkups
- Provide you with a heavy truck compliance sticker (done once a year)
As certified PMP mechanics for heavy trucks, we must comply with the maintenance methodologies set forth by the SAAQ.
The important (although this is not compulsory!) factor to look for when considering a truck repair shop is to ensure that the mechanics remain constantly up to date on popular truck repair methodologies and best practices.
Moreover, you will want to make sure they perform daily routine checkups of your vehicle and repairs immediately if the repairs are significant whenever this is possible.
Consider the impact of the driver’s driving style on a truck’s health
Drivers of heavy vehicles have a major impact on the life of the vehicle entrusted to them by the way they drive day in and day out. A good mechanic should feel free to remind any driver that their style of driving is directly proportional to the wear and possible tear that can occur with their driving style.
As an example, tips like learning to drive so as not to break as frequently or turning corners more smoothly and adopting steady driving speed avoiding unnecessary acceleration.
Of course, repairs should occur as soon as you spot them. Also, preventive maintenance tasks should take place, aligning rigorously with items listed in the PMP.
Proceeding with the care of your vehicle in mind will allow you to better assess exactly when to replace your vehicle or spot exactly when it is reaching the end of its life. You would be surprised to see the difference in a truck’s lifespan when comparing a properly cared for truck versus a lesser well-maintained truck. Adequate preventive care can extend a vehicles life for up to eight to ten 10 more years! This in turn equals considerable savings!
Regarding the repair of manual transmission, it is important to minimize natural wear which is going to occur at a certain point. Always make sure that the transmission is properly and regularly lubricated. This simple maintenance task prevents the transmission from overheating. Performing fluid changes and being on the lookout for leaks in the pipe and the gasket are of super value to any truck owner. An old fluid loaded with particles from the constant grinding of gear teeth, and filled with additives, will tend to cause breakage. Replace fluids regularly and you will avoid unpleasant surprises.
It is the same when it comes to the installation of a differential. Proper management of differential fluids will have a positive impact on the safety and “health” and lifetime of your vehicle. As soon as a differential makes noise, it is often a symptom of lack of lubrication. This task maintenance should be performed daily to ensure optimal driving. With an oil in good condition, the differential gears will not overheat due to undesirable friction.
In closing, do not hesitate to call on the expertise of our PMP certified truck mechanics for the proper maintenance of your vehicle. Doing so will ensure that it is in good driving shape well past other trucks of its age!
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