Trucks have to keep running. An owner-operator can’t make money when his truck is sitting in the shop getting repaired. The surest way to keep the wheels rolling is to keep up with regularly scheduled preventive maintenance (PMs). PMs, including lube, oil change and inspections, make sure the tractor is in top running form. Kenworth calls PMs “the best way to cut costs, minimize breakdowns, protect your investment and help you keep your commitments.” (kenworth.com, 2009)
Peterbilt Offers Three Levels of Preventive Maintenance Service
Depending on the make of the truck, there are up to three different levels of preventive maintenance, or Service, offered on a routine basis. Mark Tucker, diesel repairman at Peterbilt of Shreveport, Louisiana, describes the B Service as their most basic. Taking about an hour and a half, they lube the chassis, change the fuel filters and go through an inspection list. Most truck manufacturers recommend this level of service be performed every 15,000 miles.
Peterbilt’s A Service is a more thorough inspection, including oil change, and change of oil, air, and fuel filters, all taking around 2 to 2.5 hours. Any repairs are added to this. Their C Service is the most involved and can take up to two days (22 – 24 hours of labor). It includes a far more in-depth inspection, wheel alignment, overhead run on the engine and other more complete treatments. The Shreveport shop charges $45/hour for labor.
Freightliner Offers DOT-level Inspections and Repairs
Freightliner names their preventive maintenance services a little differently. Their B Service is the standard lube, oil and filter change (oil, air and fuel) and thorough inspection performed every 30,000 miles. Beau Beaucamp, diesel repairman at I-State Truck Service in Billings, Montana, says that their service for $229 includes a full inspection and ensuring that the truck is DOT legal. If there are other repairs needed, he tells the driver who then can decide to fix or not.
For the most basic PM, truck drivers may be able to save a few bucks by buying their own tubes of grease and doing the lube and inspection themselves. It’s also a good way to keep a check on their equipment and know its condition. Careful drivers will want to check it over after a shop gets through with it anyway, so they’re really not saving much hiring someone else to grease their rig.
Commercial Trucks Hold Up to 44 Quarts of Oil
The higher level services can be a little different. Changing out oil by the gallon can be costly in time and money. A commercial truck will take between 24 to 44 quarts of oil, depending on make and engine size. Commercial shops buy their oil in bulk. The owner-operator will spend more than twice the money just on supplies.
ESOC and other companies make professional oil changing machines that can effectively remove and replace up to 11 gallons of oil in 10 minutes. For the individual to do the same work it would take over an hour plus clean up time. Then there’s the oil to dispose of. Especially when including a DOT-level inspection and fixes, the $230 or so that it will cost for the professional service is money well spent.
Resources:
Kenworth.com “Premier Care Preventive Maintenance” (accessed 1/11/10)
Phone interview with Mark Tucker, 1/11/10
Phone interview with Beau Beaucamp, 1/11/10
Elizabeth Linehan - Elizabeth studied American Sign Language at Brigham Young University. She has worked with hearing impaired and multipli-handicapped ...
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