Just like you go to the doctor for a check-up every year, it’s important to get regular “check-ups” for your truck. Preventive maintenance means getting your trucks checked out by a reputable, experienced mechanic even when there’s nothing “wrong” with them. Having regular maintenance done on your trucks can help you catch problems before they become hazards. Plus, you don’t want your truck to spontaneously stop working, right? Getting a mechanic to service your trucks (whether you have dump trucks, straight trucks, flatbeds, or even moving trucks) on a regular basis can also help your truck insurance rates. We’ll explain why.
Reasons to start a preventive maintenance program at your trucking business
1. Safety. Preventive maintenance helps you make sure that your trucks are operating properly and improve safety at your truck business. Trucks with mechanical problems can quickly become unsafe, and that could lead to an accident on the road. That can hurt both the truck driver and the other drivers on the road.
2. Avoiding breakdowns. If you take your truck in for maintenance, you can catch potential problems early. Correcting those issues can help you avoid a truck breakdown, which will spare you a lot of stress in the long run. Could you imagine trying to find a tow truck large enough to haul your truck to a mechanic? That doesn’t sound like fun.
3. Saving money. Preventive maintenance can help you lower your repair and operating costs. By doing regular maintenance, you’ll most likely save money. Generally, it’s less expensive to catch problems early than wait for the truck to have a major issue.
4. Avoiding fines and violations. The purpose of keeping your trucks in good shape is to help ensure safety. That’s why CMV regulations exist, too, so you can adhere to those regulations by keeping your fleet – no matter if you have box trucks, tow trucks, tractor trailers, or hotshots – safe.
5. Negligent entrustment. Preventive maintenance can help you stay out of legal trouble. Should an accident happen and it’s found that you knew (or should have known) about a safety problem with one of your trucks but still drove it, that’s called negligent entrustment. And that’s not good.
Preventive maintenance and your truck insurance rates.
Having a preventive maintenance program can help you keep your truck insurance rates down because fixing problems with your truck can help you avoid accidents. Avoiding accidents helps you avoid claims, which are seen as signs that your business is a risk to insure. If you’re less of a risk, you can get lower truck insurance rates. So that’s the link between preventive maintenance and truck insurance rates.
Some things to get checked while your trucks are getting serviced…
- Tire pressure
- Tire tread depth
- Tire treads should be no less than 6/32” for the tractor steer tires and no less than 4/32” for the tractor drive and trailer tires
- Wheel alignment
- Air filters
- Oil (Be sure to get regular oil changes)
- Battery (Get the battery checked twice a year)
- Electrical and lighting components
Taking regular care of your dump trucks, flatbeds, moving trucks, straight trucks, tractor trailers, or hotshots will help you with your truck insurance rates because you can head off mechanical problems that could cause car accidents before they become dangerous. It might seem like an inconvenience, but don’t forego preventive maintenance. It’s highly important that you keep your trucks in good shape.
Are you looking to save some money on your truck insurance rates? We can help with that. We’ll help you shop around for the best possible rate for your truck insurance. All you have to do to get started with your truck insurance quotes is fill out our online form or give us a call today. Our agents are ready to assist you.
Source:
https://gorillasafety.com/news-room/implementing-a-fleet-maintenance-program
https://gorillasafety.com/news-room/streamlining-fleets-preventative-maintenance/