Truckers and fleet managers understand the costly operational, safety, and non-compliance risks associated with poorly maintained trucks. In response to this potential problem, preventive maintenance is an effective approach used to eliminate some of these risks by timely identifying minor issues before they escalate to high-risk problems like torn brakes, engine failure, broken parts, and high fines from roadside inspections. Preventive maintenance entails routine checks and servicing. You can use a checklist to enlist and organize which tasks are in your truck’s maintenance schedule. This way you can have a consistent preventive maintenance framework that guarantees all truck systems and parts are inspected on time to make sure the truck is operational and avoidable breakdowns, downtimes, and repair costs are prevented. An individualized preventive maintenance checklist
How to Use This Truck Preventive Maintenance Checklist
We have designed this checklist to help you create a thorough preventive maintenance plan based on standard maintenance requirements of trucks and good documentation practices. We have organized the various tasks logically to make sure the maintenance exercise is systematic and you do not skip any significant action. Here is a guide on how to use this simple yet effective checklist.
Opening details
At the top, you will find basic details that identify the specific truck undergoing maintenance, the inspector’s name, and when the servicing will be done. This information contextualizes the document. It also helps with documentation and tracking of the truck’s maintenance history.
- Vehicle identification – In the ‘vehicle identification’ section, the car can be identity can be by its model, year, make, plate, engine, type, etc. as long as the description is accurate.
- Service period – Two items can clarify when the maintenance takes place – the inspection and service interval. Most intervals are based on mileage and engine hours. However, each manufacturer will typically provide a maintenance interval you can follow.
- Odometer reading – The odometer reading at the time of maintenance helps in tracking the truck’s maintenance history. It should be the current reading and once compared with the previous reading, the technician can determine which maintenance tasks. For example, some manufacturers will recommend replacing the oil filter after 15,000-30,000 miles.
Maintenance items categories and descriptions
It is important to enlist and describe all the tasks the maintenance technician will perform during the service interval. More importantly, they must be categorized to create a structured preventive maintenance plan. Categorization in this section is based on the major and minor vehicle components. The structure of this section starts with a broad category (like brakes and safety), followed by vehicle parts under this category (such as brake pads and rotors, brake fluid, brake lines and hoses, emergency brakes, safety systems, and fire extinguisher). Then, next to each vehicle part, there is a brief but precise description of the type of inspection the technician should undertake and which elements to consider – for brake fluid, the level and quality are checked.
Checkboxes
The checkboxes help with verifying which tasks are complete and monitor real-time visual progress. This way you can quickly determine which tasks are pending and schedule them accordingly. Once a task is complete, the corresponding checkboxes must be marked off.
Remarks
Remarks outline relevant comments, opinions, or insights related to the specific service. It can document any problems or irregularities observed, explanations for incomplete tasks, and recommended actions for resolving identified issues. This section is a communication avenue for anyone involved in the maintenance of the truck. The remarks can be brief notes or detailed comments on the preventive maintenance and vehicle condition.
Next scheduled service
The date of the next service will inform you when to book an appointment at the auto shop. This will help you avoid overdue inspections and schedule the truck’s service intervals accordingly.
FAQs
What is the cost of preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance can be relatively costly, with some suggesting an average cost of $15,000 a year. However, the cost of repairs or breakdowns can be even higher. For example, if your truck fails by the roadside, you may end up paying $250-$500 for hooking up and towing the truck and other services.
Can I improve the utility of the checklist?
Yes. You can modify the different elements of the checklist to make it fit your truck or business’s maintenance requirements. You can add new categories to enhance the comprehensiveness of this preventive maintenance checklist. Also, you can add your trucking business logo and name at the top.
What is the size of this checklist?
We have designed this checklist of a Letter size (8.5 by 11 inches). This sheet size is standard for official documentation needs making this checklist usable in business settings. In addition, its 1-inch margins on all sides allow you to print highly legible outputs with enough white space and no fit-to-size. We used the portrait orientation to leverage the vertical space, which is suitable for itemizing the maintenance tasks for better visualization.
