Is Your Diesel Truck Ready For The Cold?
Follow these essential winterization tips for a profitable season
By: Nia Joseph

1. Top It Off
   The most basic maintenance step for any vehicle is an oil change. In diesel trucks, you benefit by following the manufacturer recommended change times. Diesel fuel contains paraffin, which causes it to gel up as it gets cooler. Using anti-gelling additives will help to counteract this.
2. Engine
   Diesel engines are much harder to start in the winter because they require higher cylinder temperatures than gasoline powered engines. You can use a block heater to regulate engine temperature, such as the battery powered no idle Nite Phoenix system offered at East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales. Check all intake pre-heats [...]

 

Driver retention is on the forefront of every company’s agenda these days, especially with a 97% annual turnover rate. Often drivers’ complaints of feeling like just a number and working conditions go unheard.

 

Amazing Need-to-Know Detailing Practices

Every dedicated truck driver knows and feels the love that I am about to express. This is not just a truck you say. Maybe you have a nickname for your truck; Mickey the Hi-Roller, Cab-Stabber or Buddy. For many truckers this is the lovable machine they wake up to at the crack of diesel dawn.

We know tires are expensive. We also know most drivers mean to keep up with their tire maintenance programs, but driving often gets in the way. Until you drop a tread, or pick-up a bolt, it’s easy to forget about your tires. Problem is, tires are very unforgiving, and will eat up your profits any chance they get. Don’t let them. Here’s how. Any tire showing damage is trying to tell you something. You might need an alignment if you see certain patterns, so knowing which tire patterns to look for helps you identify the problem. Tire sites usually have a chart on types of damage to expect with each problem. Keep tires of the same diameter together (New with new. Used with used). If not, you end up with one tire skipping and scraping the road because it isn’t the [...]

You’ve seen the videos and pictures on the web. You know it happens – just not to you. And this is exactly how it starts.   Every day we see a video of a truck carrying a large load hitting a bridge, underpass or some other object of civil engineering. In fact, over 60 percent of states say that over-height accidents are considered a significant problem. The problem is so bad in the empire state that New York is installing “Over-Height Vehicle Detection Systems” to alleviate it. (You have to wait for troopers to guide you to another route if you’re over height, and that can’t be an enjoyable process.)   So, how do these strikes happen so frequently when we all know to measure twice and plan the route accordingly? It’s all about safety [...]