How Should I Set Up a Semi-Truck Fleet Maintenance Plan?

March 7, 2022 12:00 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Preventative maintenance is a maintenance strategy that aims to conduct regular and routine checks on assets to keep those assets working. This strategy seeks to prevent any costly breakdowns which may slow down or completely halt other operations in an organization. 

A successful maintenance plan makes provisions for proper planning and scheduling of maintenance to ensure that assets continue to work without any breakdowns. 

In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires that all vehicles operating on public roads should be subjected to regular and routine checks to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and safe. 

Preventative maintenance for semi trucks

Whether you own one semi-truck or an entire fleet, having a well-thought-out and well-planned preventative maintenance plan is key to your operational strategy. 

Various factors are included in preventative maintenance on semi-trucks which may include:

  • Checking fluid levels
  • Replacing worn tires
  • Inspecting windshields and wipers
  • Replacing worn-out parts before they break
  • Replacing filters 
  • Checking oil levels
  • Cleaning

The main goal of preventative maintenance is to attend to small and large tasks in relation to the semi-truck and replace any worn parts before they break. An unexpected breakdown costs money and takes unnecessary time. 

Semi truck maintenance checklist

Implementing a maintenance plan can be done by following four steps and understanding the importance of a maintenance plan. 

The first step is to take an inventory of the vehicles that will fall under the maintenance plan. Each vehicle’s make, model, description, VIN number, tire size, and owner’s name has to be recorded and updated. In addition, the history of previous maintenance, the conditions that the vehicle will operate in, and the vehicle’s fuel system will need to be kept in the file for each vehicle. This is also another requirement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to keep updated maintenance records of all vehicles in a fleet. 

The second step is to build a maintenance plan for each individual vehicle. You can use certain metrics to plan out the maintenance plan and schedule the next maintenance day for that specific vehicle. 

The third step is to train all vehicle drivers on the correct method to perform a routine check. Some checks may have to happen more often than others. Some key checks that the drivers should know how to do are fluid checks such as oil, water, etc. as well as knowing how to check the brakes of the vehicle. Furthermore, drivers should know how to check the tires and when the tread may be too worn. 

The last step is to record all maintenance and repairs performed on each vehicle in the fleet and any information regarding the vehicle that may be of importance. 

Speak to a professional at United Diesel Power – Truck Repair at (901) 619-4344 today to assist with any routine maintenance on your semi-truck or fleet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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