August 24, 2004
Howdy Drivers!

Well, it’s too early for winter and summer is well underway. So let’s try a few tips that might keep us moving.

First off: keep a spare set of fan belts in your truck, a fan belt never breaks at a convenient time and when they do break its usually somewhere that's unfamiliar to you. With no way to go get a replacement set, it could cost you four to five times what they should cost.

Second: I recommend keeping a spare fuel filter in your truck. Unfortunately fuel filters have a bad habit of clogging up out in the middle of no where. A service truck call out can be a very expensive $100.00 plus. And extended labor charges is not unusual for being out on the road.

Next, I advise replacing your air dryer cartridges between 250,000 to 300,000 miles. When an air dryer filter goes, because it’s full or worn out, the contaminates that the filter normally keeps out of the system will now be passed into the air system. Once this occurs, you will have to have your air system hoses and volume tanks clean or replaced.

Drivers should also monitor their alternators. The type fleet’s spec and equip on their trucks usually last about 250,000 miles. Usually they fail on you in the middle of a traffic jam or right in the middle of nowhere during a snow storm. Keep a few wrenches of various sizes and if you loosen the lock nut that holds the pulley on before you take the fan belts off, you can get the pulley off to use on the new alternator.

Another thing to keep in mind is your inventory of trucking “extra’s”. Having a supply of spare head lights and clearance lights, fuses, an ignition switch plus a couple headlight switches is a good idea. The best place to buy these items are at a class A truck dealership. Headlights are sold in truck dealerships for around $3.90 compared to the $10.00 or $15.00 that truck stops charge. I usually carry two spares of each headlight and a supply of four to five clearance lights. I also have on hand a few fuses of various amp sizes. And if your truck is getting up there in miles, a spare ignition switch may not be a bad idea and a couple head light switches might come in handy.

Finally, it’s helpful to remember there is a difference between summer windshield wipers and winter wipers. The winter wipers are stiffer and help clear the snow and ice off more efficiently.

OK good luck to all of you and be safe out there, drivers. And as always if I’ve missed anything please feel free to pass your suggestions on to the rest of us.


Fred is an OTR driver who has 24 years experience hauling a multitude of freight including dry van and refer. He has trucked in all 48 States as well as every province in Canada. Trucking as both a company driver and an owner operator, Fred brings to the GTA the kind of success story many drivers would like to experience including the last 15 years trucking with his own rig.
If you have a question for Fred just forward it to him through the contact page on the website.

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