Heavy Duty Trucking, May 2018
he only people who like maintenance are those who are paid to do it At a cost of about a dollar a minute maintenance is an expensive proposition But smart operators can spec some of that cost out of the truck before it even rolls down the assembly line The cost reduction strategy begins with establishing a purchase lease schedule that aligns with the fleets financial goals and continues with ordering components that will help reduce the time trucks spend in the shop Theres little benefit in specing a bulletproof truck if you plan to keep it only four or five years If you can keep a truck running for 500000 miles without any significant maintenance or replacement cost youll come out money ahead But that doesnt mean you can simply ignore the truck for five years Preventive maintenance schedules were once based largely on oil change intervals Not long ago the average interval was 10000 15000 miles or about once a month With some of todays engines capable of going 40000 50000 and even out to 70000 miles between oil drains PM intervals can be safely extended only if the rest of the truck can be left alone that long and thats not often the case SPEC HEADACHES By Jim Park Equipment Editor jpark@ truckinginfo com HDT MAY 2018 72 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM T It costs a dollar a minute to keep a truck in the shop Youre money ahead to spec premium and long lasting components up front than to pay for shop time in the end PHOTO JIM PARK
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