Performing basic maintenance on your truck might help you catch a problem before it leads to a costly breakdown

Independent operator Earl Evans takes truck maintenance and repairs seriously to keep his 2005 Kenworth W900L as close to condition: new as he can. He uses only new parts, does most of his own maintenance and greases with abandon.

“I like to grease every 2,500 miles,” he says. “Since 1974, I’ve never had to replace a part on a truck that has a grease fitting. It’s a simple, fundamental thing to grease, do fluid changes and keep an eye on your truck.”

Most owner-operators don’t handle as much of their own maintenance as Evans does. Yet staying on top of maintenance issues and deciding what tasks you can do for yourself will save you time and money and help prevent those unexpected breakdowns that can undermine your business financially.

Jim Hess, president of Midway Truck Service of Bethel, Pa., advises tackling maintenance with a checklist. He says a basic list could include air, fuel and oil filters, tires, brakes, belts, U joints, cooling system, lights and battery. An overlooked detail might include torquing the oil pan plug.

“An owner-operator could responsibly do a lot of that stuff himself and save money,” Hess says. “Most owner-operators should learn to do things such as replace lights and grease a chassis.”

Bill McClusky, maintenance management consultant at ATBS, says an owner-operator’s maintenance options are limited by today’s more complicated trucks, which contain numerous electronic control systems that, he adds, even some dealerships struggle to keep up with.