Preventing Breakdowns
A large number of breakdown calls are due to preventable problems, whether it's a tire blown because it was run underinflated, belts that should have been replaced at the last PM, low oil shutdown, overheating because the coolant level wasn't kept topped off — even running out of fuel.
The most common cause for a roadside service call is tires. Behind that, electrical problems, including alternators and batteries, are high on the list. Brake and air problems round out the top three mechanical issues.
Weather has a direct effect on emergency road service trends. In the wintertime, calls come in because of gelled fuel, water frozen in the air lines, or towing calls for rigs that have slid off the road or gotten stuck. Extreme summer heat causes an increase in tire failures. Either extreme cold or extreme heat takes an enormous toll on the electrical system.
The best way to avoid breakdowns is through a strong preventive maintenance program. But breakdown service providers say driver training is an overlooked way to cut breakdown costs.
Many breakdown handlers say today's truck drivers have the attitude, "I just drive the truck," and don't pay attention to the simplest of mechanical problems.
"It used to be, drivers would check and maintain things themselves," says Lane Goebel, owner of the NTTS Breakdown Directory. "Today, we have trucks all the time that are running out of fuel, or they didn't check the oil and the low-level oil shutdown came on, and they don't have any oil on the truck at all."
Dave Niswonger, general manager of North American Fleet Services, says he sees drivers who don't know how to do a pretrip inspections, use a tire gauge, or drain a fuel/water separator.
"The more time you spend educating a driver, the better off you're going to be. Drivers have to be a part of the team. Otherwise, you lose."
Drivers need to be familiar with the truck they're driving, says Ken Cummings, the Freightliner Customer Assistance Center supervisor. "They need to know where the fuel shutoffs are, how the air dryer operates, how to check air pressure, how to know the fuel/water separator isn't plugged," he says. "You get some drivers who are not the most mechanically astute."
It's important to have in place a good preventive maintenance schedule and process. It's also important to make pre-trip and post-trip inspections part of the overall maintenance program. Mark Stumne, product manager for maintenance and safety select services at GE Fleet Services, says he sees a big gap in this area. "It's part of the regulations — drivers have to do them — but when they find a problem, a lot of fleets don't have a system in place to deal with it."
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