Tips for your tractor trailer maintenance program

Tractor trailer maintenance programs are tough to follow. Many companies think it costs too much to maintain their trailers. The reality is it costs too much not to. Over the road breakdowns are more costly than repairs made in your shop.

Trailer maintenance should be regular, scheduled, important, and on time. Trailers with regularly scheduled maintenance programs consistently have a lower cost of ownership. Fetch higher dollars during equipment upgrades. Your driver's are happier and turn more miles when you have less break downs. That means higher revenues for your company. The key is really to control your maintenance costs by taking a proactive approach.

Where to Start your Trailer Maintenance Program

Where do you start? I would rank their importance and the order you should add them to your program as follows:

1. grease all serviceable fittings
• this is the base of all PM schedules
• make sure you read this article of how to properly maintain your dolly legs
2. check wheel seals and fluid levels
• drivers should be trained on the importance of a pre-trip inspection
3. comprehensive brake program
• drums are expensive
• shoes should not be ran all of the way down to the wear line
• you can learn about proper brake maintenance here
4. check axle alignment
• make sure you have properly aligned trailers before you spend any time or money on air flow deflectors
• trailer alignment is the largest fuel saving program you can have saving as much as $3500 per year per trailer
5. clean all electrical connections
• warranty coverage on electrical connections is void where corrosion is present
6. combine FHWA inspection with PM and perform every 3 months
• never be on the road with an expired FHWA inspection again
7. add a section for noted damage to PM/FHWA form
8. store the previous 3 PM/FWHA inspections on the trailer
9. every inspection shall begin by reviewing the previous 3 inspections
10. check wheel end play
11. begin tire branding for identification and tracking

It's Not Too Late to Start a Trailer Maintenance Program

It is not too late to begin. Go ahead and check out some of the savings associated with a good maintenance program. Don't forget to check out the section on dolly legs or landing gear depending on where you live or the section on how a trailer alignment can save you big money.

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