{"id":3456,"date":"2020-11-05T13:02:11","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T02:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/?p=3456"},"modified":"2020-11-05T13:02:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T02:02:11","slug":"truck-maintenance-why-heavy-truck-maintenance-by-a-professional-is-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/truck-maintenance-why-heavy-truck-maintenance-by-a-professional-is-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Truck Maintenance: Why Heavy Truck Maintenance by a Professional Is Necessary"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Road accidents involving heavy trucks take many lives every year. But drivers can prevent many of these accidents by following a regular program of professional maintenance for their vehicle.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accidents involving heavy trucks and cars often result in serious injuries, even death. These accidents are generally so severe because of the difference in the size and weight of the vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are three main causes of heavy truck accidents: shoddy <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, driver error and bad weather.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A passenger car can get away with an oil change every 5,000km. But heavy trucks need more frequent check-ups. Why? Because they rack up hundreds of kilometres in single hauls, day in and day out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problems with the brakes, power steering, and other systems can make a truck unsafe for the road. That\u2019s why <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy vehicle maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> professionals are essential to keeping these trucks road-safe.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why You Need Professional Truck Maintenance<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is hard to overstate the importance of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These vehicles take a far heavier beating than any passenger car. Trucks also travel over greater distances and continuously over longer stretches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why truck drivers should leave the maintenance to the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck and car repair<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> professionals. And here are the biggest reasons for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional Expertise<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s the most important reason you need a pro to take care of your truck: They can discover problems that aren\u2019t obvious to you. The last thing you want, as a truck driver, is to drive long distances with a serious problem lurking under the bonnet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional mechanics offer experience and expertise in fixing a wide range of trucks. On the other hand, DIY mechanics only know their vehicles \u2013 to an extent. The pros are also likely to have better diagnostics tools at their disposal. Many also have access to specialised computers and sensors for measurements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> professional can create a maintenance schedule for your truck. Regular check-ups make it possible to discover and fix problems at an early stage, thus saving you money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After an assessment, the professional mechanic will give you a list of parts recommended for repair or replacement. You get to decide what and when to proceed, perhaps starting with the most urgent. The point is that it\u2019s possible to tailor the maintenance to your budget. You\u2019ll find out everything that\u2019s going on with your truck.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the end, it\u2019s safe to assume that trained mechanics have a wider range of skills than most truck drivers. They know better what to look for in the brakes, transmission, engines, and other parts, and specific to the make and model too.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better Value<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular maintenance can be costly, especially if you have an aging truck. Old vehicles tend to break down more often than new ones. Also, the parts might be harder to find and more expensive as a result. That\u2019s not to say that a new truck won\u2019t be costly to maintain if it doesn\u2019t come with any sort of factory maintenance warranty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going the professional route will cost more than doing everything yourself. That\u2019s a given and the reason some truck drivers decide to take matters into their own hands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it\u2019s only a matter of time until you run into an unsolvable problem. Then you\u2019ll have to hire a professional anyway. You might even have messed up a few things that will make the costs higher than going straight to a truck repair shop in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And here\u2019s the most important thing: if a pro is taking care of your truck, your odds of getting into an accident are lower. If a trusted mechanic gives your vehicle a clean bill of health, you can probably take that to the bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extending the Life of the Vehicle<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The moving and fixed parts of your truck all have a shelf life. This means that they will deteriorate after a certain period of time. For the more critical parts, you may want to repair or replace them before they actually break down. As you know, most auto parts will show wear and tear before calling it quits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are your own mechanic, you might neglect or ignore something that looks minor (to you, anyway). That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019re on a tight budget. However, this habit increases the chances of the parts breaking on you once you\u2019re on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Driving with severe problems can significantly shorten the life of your truck. Power steering faults, for example, can affect the drivetrain, wheel axles, and other parts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But if you hire a professional mechanic, you can root out many of these problems and extend the life of your truck. You\u2019ll save money since you won\u2019t have to buy new trucks as often. You might be able to put that money to better use instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower Possibility of Accidents<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The failure and breakdown of vital parts is among the leading causes of traffic accidents. On the other hand, well-maintained trucks and cars cause far fewer accidents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You run a higher risk of accidents every time you put off a part replacement or check-up. New parts might cost a few hundreds \u2013 or even thousands \u2013 of dollars, but that\u2019s beside the point. You\u2019ll have to replace them sooner or later, so it\u2019s much better to be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should be a priority for all truck drivers. Questionable maintenance is among the top causes of traffic accidents involving heavy trucks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A professional truck workshop has better equipment and mechanics with long experience in fixing trucks. For one thing, they can often discover problems that might escape the driver.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional maintenance is also more affordable in the long run. It may cost more in the beginning, but it\u2019s likely to save you a pretty penny down the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll be able to get more years out of your truck if it\u2019s properly maintained. All of the parts, especially the moving ones, take a lot of abuse on the road. And any damaged parts might cause other parts to fail as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All in all, a roadworthy truck is one that\u2019s carefully maintained.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have any questions or are hunting for truck parts, new or used, check out our website or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">get in touch with us today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Road accidents involving heavy trucks take many lives every year. But drivers can prevent many of these accidents by following a regular program of professional maintenance for their vehicle. Accidents involving heavy trucks and cars often result in serious injuries, even death. These accidents are generally so severe because of the difference in the size [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3458,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456\/revisions\/3458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}