On Friday morning while driving from Canton to Akron on I-77, I counted 10 empty flatbed trucks, 5 bob-tail cabs, and 3 speed-traps. It must be Memorial Day Weekend. Welcome to Summer – and the first long weekend we have at home. What are you going to do with it? Worry about your truck maintenance or relax with your family?

Time Your Truck Maintenance

With the CVSA Roadcheck only days away, there are plenty of drivers who are planning their summer vacations – conveniently on the same dates.

Why worry? You’ll skip the inspectors who you think are more interested in their quotas than the condition of your rig, right? What do they know? You know what needs to be done now and what can wait.

But that’s why people worry. Those inspections are the result of unsafe trucks on the road.

The best way not to worry is to keep your equipment in the condition it should be in – and not just the first week in June.

What Are the Risks of Neglecting Trucking Maintenance?

Truckers love their rigs.  Unfortunately, loving them won’t keep them in good operating condition, but routine preventive maintenance will. Your safety and the safety of others on the roadway depend on it.  

With our TMS system, remembering to do vehicle maintenance won’t be an issue.  You’ll get an alert when maintenance is due.  A TMS also tracks all maintenance performed to keep your vehicle running at its best.

Here are some of the risks you can avoid with scheduled vehicle maintenance:

1. Worn-out brakes: CMVs need more time to stop than regular vehicles, so bad brakes can be disastrous. 
2. Engine problems: Poorly maintained engines can stall, causing crashes or worse.  Also, roadway breakdowns are costly.
3. Bad tires: Poorly inflated or badly worn tires interfere with sudden stops if needed.  
4. Vehicle lighting: Dim or broken headlights, taillights, or brake lights cause accidents or result in tickets, fines, or OOS time.  
5. Fuel system: Damaged systems can cause leaks and are a potential fire hazard.
6. Windshields/wipers: Cracked windshields or damaged wipers can cause poor visibility.  This increases the likelihood of accidents.
7. Suspension: Faulty suspension components cause loss of control of the vehicle, especially when braking.

Our trucking software optimizes all aspects of your operation to save you time and money and helps keep everyone safer.

Avoid the Worry

Tracking your equipment maintenance isn’t hard. Daily inspections will give you a good idea of what your truck needs – now it’s just a matter of making it happen.

If it’s a matter of budget – and when isn’t it? – then scheduling your maintenance ahead of time makes it easier to afford.

• You can use the mechanic you like at the time you need.
• You avoid the breakdown on the road – and the extra costs.
• Your rig will last longer with proper maintenance.

Avoid the worry and control your truck maintenance expenses? That’s a win-win.

Planning Your Truck Maintenance with TruckingOffice

Whether it’s by mileage or by time, TruckingOffice TMS can track your truck maintenance. The strength of the maintenance module will manage your truck and keep it running as well as manage dispatches, routes, and invoices all at the same time.

You can explore our entire trucking software package with our free trial – no credit card, debit card, or bank account number is needed to get started. Just try it out and discover the power of the trucking management software for yourself. Then you can enjoy the long weekends like Memorial Day.