The semi-truck is the backbone of the transportation industry. It moves thousands of pounds of products and cargo across the country, whether in a small caravan or a large fleet. Here are five essential maintenance tasks you should know when owning and operating a semi-truck.
Change Your Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is essential for stopping your truck. If you don’t change your brake fluid regularly, it can become contaminated. This will negatively affect your entire brake system, leaving you to deal with rusted brake lines and high maintenance costs. Your brake system should run smoothly with checks, so have a technician review brake fluid replacement.
Replace Your Semi-Truck Air Intake Filter
Your semi-truck’s air intake filter can accumulate dirt, dust, and debris over time, so changing the air intake filter is a must. Replace your semi-truck air intake filter every 15,000–30,000 miles or sooner if you drive through dusty areas. Air intake filter replacement results in a longer-lasting engine that requires less fuel when accelerating.
Check Your Fluid Levels Regularly
Fluids are essential parts of a properly working semi-truck. They’re crucial to vehicle maintenance, so ensure your fluids get changed and topped off regularly. You’ll want top-of-the-line semi-truck chemical fluids to keep your vehicle at peak performance.
Semi-truck fluids, such as engine oil, coolant, antifreeze, power steering, and brake oil, are essential liquids you should maintain and replace appropriately. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for changing fluids, and avoid compromising the quality or the brand.
Rotate Your Tires and Check Tire Pressure
Tire rotation is another essential maintenance task for your semi-truck thatyou shouldn’t skip. Semi-trucks have more tires than passenger vehicles, and semi-truck tires don’t wear out evenly. Wear and tear can cause tire misalignment, so rotating them increases their lifespan and improves wear distribution.
Checking tire pressure is also crucial. Driving on underinflated tires is dangerous and can cause other issues with your semi-truck. It can result in decreased gas mileage and prematurely worn tires.
Monitor and Maintain Your Engine
The engine is the heart that keeps an automobile functional and needs the most attention. Some preventative maintenance checks for semi-trucks include checking the engine for oil, fuel, and coolant leaks, examining power steering levels, testing antifreeze protection, inspecting radiator mounting for looseness or crack, and monitoring engine wire seals and connectors for damage. Don’t skip engine checks your engine, as it can lead to catastrophic damage.
