1
Chat with a fleet manager about pre-trip inspections that made me rethink my whole morning routine
Last week at the shop, a guy who runs 40 trucks told me he spends 15 minutes checking each rig before they roll. He said catching a loose belt early saves him 3 hours of downtime later. Anyone else skip the small stuff and regret it?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
elliotm5713d ago
Hear him out on the belt thing. I started doing a quick look under the hood after I had a water pump go on me halfway through a delivery run. That one mistake cost me a tow and a full afternoon waiting for a shop to get to it. Now I check belts and hoses every morning, takes maybe two minutes but it saves me big headaches. The little stuff like tire pressure and loose connections adds up fast when it all hits at once. You don't realize how much time you waste on small repairs until you start catching them before they happen.
8
park.miles13d ago
Fixed that water pump on my old F-150 at the side of a highway in the dark. Took me four hours with a ratchet set and a flashlight. After that I started doing the two minute check before every shift. Belts get a quick twist and look for cracks, hoses get a squeeze for soft spots or bulges. Also started keeping a spare serpentine belt and a couple hose clamps in the glove box. Saved my ass twice already.
8