{"id":3529,"date":"2021-08-17T11:21:45","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T01:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/?p=3529"},"modified":"2021-08-17T11:21:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T01:21:45","slug":"why-you-need-to-take-truck-maintenance-seriously-and-six-reasons-why-you-should-work-with-a-professional-to-maintain-your-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/why-you-need-to-take-truck-maintenance-seriously-and-six-reasons-why-you-should-work-with-a-professional-to-maintain-your-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need to Take Truck Maintenance Seriously (And Six Reasons Why You Should Work with a Professional to Maintain Your Fleet)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Driving a well-maintained truck assures safety not only for the driver but also for other road users. Take a look at this tragic story concerning <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that may have you take the matter seriously from now on.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In February 2015, a terrible truck accident happened that resulted in four deaths. And one of the casualties was a four-year-old girl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The brakes failed when the driver tried to stop the truck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 20-year-old man was driving behind a colleague when the latter stopped his vehicle. The accident happened after the driver attempted to do the same &#8211; he had to swerve to avoid hitting his colleague as a result of his truck failing to brake.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consequently, he hit two pedestrians crossing the street, the young girl and her grandma, and a car with four male passengers. Only two of those who were injured survived.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The saddest part is that the tragedy could have been avoided if the truck\u2019s defective brakes had been discovered during routine <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As it turned out, the trucking company skipped the recommended brake efficiency tests on that particular vehicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court would later describe the vehicle as \u201can accident waiting to happen\u201d, further noting that the company was without an operating transport manager at the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is just one of many stories that serve as cautionary tales about the importance of undergoing regular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck and car repair<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and maintenance services. And both trucking companies and truck drivers would be wise to take heed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article will highlight six compelling reasons for ensuring regular truck maintenance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Six Reasons<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides being a matter of life and death, there are plenty of other reasons for keeping your truck or trucks constantly well-maintained by professionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #1 \u2013 Pros Can Catch Issues That You Might Not Spot<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you consider yourself a highly competent part-time mechanic, you might find that the professionals who do this day in and day out are on another level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A professional mechanic would know exactly what to look for when inspecting your brakes, clutches, transmissions, engine, cylinder heads, and such.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you manage a variety of trucks, it\u2019s always better to hire a team of skilled mechanics for all your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy vehicle maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> needs. They can inspect each vehicle in more detail &#8211; it\u2019s their expertise after all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #2 \u2013 They Have Specific Expertise in Maintenance<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A professional mechanic will make sure that your vehicles are in perfect working condition. The technical expertise and long years of experience will also come with all the tools and systems needed to look for faults in your trucks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you take a vehicle to an auto repair shop, especially one that specialises in trucks, they will first determine your truck\u2019s overall condition. Only then will they conduct the necessary safety checks and, if needed, give you a summary of all the parts that need replacing or repairing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The whole process is relatively straightforward, yet essential for the safe operation of heavy trucks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #3 \u2013 Value for Money<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sending your trucks to the pros can save you a lot of money in the long term. Regular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy vehicle maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> checks will keep your vehicles in the best possible condition to service your company, drivers, and customers for longer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll also find regular maintenance costs to be much less than if something is to happen to your trucks. As the previous story showed us, you could be liable for far more than the value of your vehicle in the worst-case scenario.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #4 \u2013 Your Drivers Feel Safer<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The drivers of your fleet are the ones that keep your business going. And ensuring their road safety is the least that you can do in return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned in the previous point, any accident that happens as the result of an ill-maintained company vehicle can be exceedingly costly, perhaps even threatening the survival of your company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since your drivers will be spending most of their working hours in the trucks, they\u2019ll feel much safer knowing that everything is in order. This can only improve their job performance and satisfaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #5 \u2013 Problems Get Detected Early<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like any other vehicle, truck issues take time to develop &#8211; you may not be aware of a mechanical problem until it\u2019s too late. At that point, things usually get more expensive and may even affect other parts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By contrast, investing in regular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heavy truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets you quickly address those problems that often go undetected for some time, such as leaking fuel lines, stuck brakes, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this quick action, it can severely reduce the probability of your truck being involved in an accident, which is a boon for your business, your drivers, and the general public.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reason #6 \u2013 Reduced Road Downtime<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truck maintenance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps minimise truck downtime. Not only that, your drivers should be far less likely to be left stranded as a result of a broken truck mid-journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some mechanical issues may keep the trucks in the garage for much longer if they\u2019re not discovered early. By investing in all the scheduled maintenance, you\u2019ll ensure the smooth operation of your trucking business, keeping unnecessary interruptions to a minimum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drive Safe, Invest in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truck Maintenance<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular check-ups on any vehicle, and especially heavy trucks, could potentially save lives, but the scope is in fact much broader.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An experienced mechanic can often find issues that may evade regular truck drivers. Also, you might actually save money by investing in regular truck check-ups, as compared to the potential costs of accidents and sharp rises in insurance premiums in the aftermath.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, the truck drivers in your employ will feel safer and the early discovery of potential truck problems will help to minimise downtime, costs, and margins for error.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nothing ensures road safety like a properly maintained truck. Whether you\u2019re a truck driver or the manager or owner of a fleet of trucks, you wouldn\u2019t want to miss the regular maintenance checks that will keep your vehicles in top shape.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you happen to be looking for reliable new or used trucks, including accessories and parts, make sure to visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/buy\/trucks\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truck Dealers Australia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and check out our latest deals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driving a well-maintained truck assures safety not only for the driver but also for other road users. Take a look at this tragic story concerning heavy truck maintenance that may have you take the matter seriously from now on. In February 2015, a terrible truck accident happened that resulted in four deaths. And one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529"}],"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=3529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3532,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529\/revisions\/3532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truckdealers.com.au\/editorial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}