Preventative Maintenance Essentials for Truck Drivers

Whether you’re an owner-operator or a fleet driver, semi-truck preventative maintenance is a must for all truckers. Not only will it help you avoid expensive emergency maintenance, but it also protects you and the lives of other motorists. Here are the semi-truck maintenance tips for truck drivers.

Keep a Good Record

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all semi-truck drivers to perform preventative maintenance on their vehicles and keep a log of these procedures. If you’re an owner or fleet operator, it’s up to you to ensure every vehicle in your charge has an up-to-date maintenance record.

Prioritize Pre-Trip Inspections

Another tip regarding preventative maintenance essentials for truck drivers is to inspect your vehicle often. You can save a lot of time and money by catching problems early on, but this requires you to be on the lookout. Always perform a pre-trip inspection of your truck before heading out with the following preventative maintenance checklist for semi-trucks:

• Electrical: headlights, brake lights, turn signals, warning lights, etc.
• Tires: air pressure and tread wear
• Brakes: lining, air pressure system
• Fluids: coolant, antifreeze, fuel, oil, undercarriage

Remember Seasonal Maintenance

There are some maintenance tasks you don’t need to do before every trip, but just a few times a year or during certain weather conditions instead. Seasonal maintenance includes watching out for tire pressure changes during fluctuating weather, changing windshield wipers, cleaning the undercarriage, and checking the battery for corrosion.

Upgrade Your Seat

Unfortunately, many truckers and fleet operators forget that a quality driving seat is an important part of semi-truck preventative maintenance, and it should be replaced once it wears out. Driving in a worn-out or ill-fitting chair can cause strain on the driver’s spine, back, and neck. It can also cause nerve damage when the bottom of the chair hits the cab floor during bumpy stretches of road.

Fleet operators who care about their drivers should offer to replace worn-out and non-adjustable seats with better ones, like GRA-MAG’s commercial truck seats. Our aftermarket seats are made with high-quality materials and have maximum adjustability. Call or email us today to learn more.