5 Tips For Preventing Common Kenworth Truck Breakdowns

5 Tips For Preventing Common Kenworth Truck Breakdowns

Are you trying to maintain your Kenworth truck without ending up with any frustrating breakdowns? Then you are at the right place. We are looking forward to sharing some valuable tips which you can follow to ensure that you don't encounter a breakdown in your Kenworth truck any time soon.

1. Take maintenance precautions seriously

While some breakdowns are unavoidable, many may be avoided by adhering to a strict preventive maintenance schedule. Although there are certain upfront costs associated with a preventative maintenance service, it may save your fleet money in the long term by reducing the frequency of failures and the severity of those that do occur.

To manage a PM program, you must first understand your vehicles. Please pay attention to the manufacturer's suggested preventive maintenance intervals for each truck and make sure your fleet’s  Kenworth trucks are fully serviced when required. Preventative maintenance is essential if your fleet is always on the move and under heavy usage. It's often best to arrange PM servicing ahead of time and to then schedule reminders for when each service date is approaching.

2. Don't procrastinate on Kenworth truck maintenance

Many fleets postpone maintenance, deferring costs to the next month or quarter for financial reasons. While this may work in the short term, it increases your truck's likelihood of developing reliability and performance issues.

Preventative maintenance substantially lowers the risk of breakdowns  and allows your drivers and operators  to detect any issues. You may obtain better numbers in the short term if you put off truck maintenance, but "small" issues can quickly escalate into major problems that go unnoticed until they result in a damaged or broken-down vehicle at the most inconvenient time.

3. Double-check the "small things" before each trip

A lack of preventive maintenance is not the cause of all Kenworth truck failures. A seemingly small,  isolated issue, such as a slightly underinflated tire, may sometimes quickly escilate, resulting in a blowout at the worst possible time.

Environmental factors may have an immediate and unexpected impact on your vehicle, affecting tire pressure, coolant, etc. These "little" headaches  may have significant consequences down the line, so it's vital to be aware of them when they happen.

The simplest way to stay on top of these minor  concerns is to properly and thoroughly inspect before each trip. Keeping track of the "small" things that might go wrong, such as brakes, electronics, tire pressure, oil, and engine coolant, makes it easier to avoid major issues.

Check your brakes or take your Kenworth truck to a repair shop

Brakes are subjected to a lot of abuse and should be examined frequently. Brake pads that have worn out or difficulties with the internal braking systems may put a lot of strain on the vehicle as a whole, and they may also put the driver and others on the road at risk. There's no shame in bringing a Kenworth truck to a technician for an evaluation and repair if the driver isn't equipped to monitor and repair brakes.

Replace Air Filters

Air filters are an often-overlooked component of your engine's HVAC and air filtering systems. The cabin air quality will suffer if filters accumulate too much debris. Filters are a low-cost and simple-to-maintain component, so there's no need to let them get too filthy. 

Replacing air filters regularly will not just assist you in avoiding repairs, and it can also allow you to save a considerable amount of money in the long run. For example, it will save you a significant amount of money in day-to-day operations  as you will be driving the vehicle on the road with high fuel efficiency. This might even help you cover up the cost of going for regular maintenance on your truck. 

4. Stay on top of oil and engine coolant changes

Although it should go without saying, many drivers exceed the prescribed miles before changing their oil and engine coolant. Oil viscosity and levels are critical in keeping a diesel engine operating correctly, and coolant is necessary for reducing overheating and even safeguarding various moving components from water damage.

5. Keep your equipment up to date

It's challenging to set aside finances for a new fleet, yet vehicles don't last forever. In the end, new technologies make them more dependable and cost-effective. Although Kenworth truck owners are not required to replace their trucks every year, it is preferable to do so regularly. In the long term, maintaining obsolete vehicles will be a larger cost than that  of a new truck.

Final words 

Let's face it: there's nothing worse than being stranded on the side of a major highway, waiting for help because something went wrong with your truck.There is no such thing as a good moment for a breakdown, particularly when you're on a tight delivery schedule. 

A truck breakdown is annoying, stressful and uncomfortable, but any required repair might slow you down or put you behind schedule. You've already spent too much time on the road, so who wants to be stranded for even longer due to a flat tire or brake problem? Certainly not you. Make a professional maintenance checklist before you go out on your next delivery to prevent the most frequent reasons for a truck failure.

Last but not least, keeping your company fleet up to date is vital. Due to wear and tear on its components, chassis, and engine, even a well-maintained Kenworth truck may have issues over time.

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