It is a good article.
For many out there in EO land who are accidental expediters, they don't understand that this is a business and sometimes they are driven to get things done for the company while endangering themselves or further damaging the truck. There are times when a flat tire should be a PITA, but it is a panic filled situation for the elderly couple making this out as a paid vacation or someone who has never had a flat in their life.
REMEMBER THIS IS A BUSINESS and you should not try to mitigate losses if it means doing more damage to the truck or putting yourself in danger.
There is one flaw of the article that sticks out badly and can be a big problem if the advice is taken.
Bob advised when checking fluid levels, to top off the levels if they need to be topped off.
DO NOT TOP UP THE LEVELS.
Leave the levels alone. If topping off say the oil level gets the engine started again, then this may not last and it may get you into another situation even worst than the first one. If the coolant level is so low that it shuts the engine down, then it could mean more than coolant in the oil. It is best to leave it alone.
Some Mechanics want the levels left alone to help with the diagnosis of the problems, while others don't. Each mechanic has their own way of looking at things and if it is say a cracked head where coolant is leaking into the exhaust, then topping it up may not mean much and the problem still exists.
Unless you know what you are looking for, looking for a leak may be a hard or near impossible thing to do in the dark or on a wet day. Knowing what could be the problem and telling a shop or tow truck company or your company may not be the best thing to do. Assumptions are made, there are mechanics who listen to whats wrong with the truck then only look for those problems while passing by others problems - I know this from experience.
With that said, DO NOT assume that the oil pressure was fine before the truck stopped. Sometimes you may not notice fluctuations in oil pressure, other times the split second before the engine stopped there may have been a drop in pressure that you didn't see and with the declining RPMs, you see a drop and assume it was normal.
If the engine shut down, ASSUME there is a SERIOUS PROBLEM, DO NOT assume that you can move the truck and unless you are a mechanic, then consider it a day, consider you lost the load and get professional help.
The truck system is there to protect the engine, it is setup to tolerate some of the dumbest drivers on the road and a major amount of neglect. Many of the systems will indicate a problem with a Check Engine light, other times it just stops. If a STOP ENGINE light comes on and the engine stops, there is a seriousness to the problem that should be addressed by a mechanic and only by a mechanic who has both the knowledge and the tools.
I have only seen three cases where the engine shut down because of low fluids and neglect by the operator not to top them up - all having to do with low oil and the lack of knowledge by the operator on how to properly check the oil.
With the average contractor being contracted to one of the big companies, your obligation is to the load if you under a load and if the company tells you to get towed to the delivery, than do it. If they want to transfer the load, then do it. Unless they are paying for it, then it is your show after that so it is you who needs to decide what to do with your truck.
The "Good Samaritan rule" only applies if someone decides to stop. In this industry today, this is sometimes short of a miracle, but if someone does stop, don't refuse help. Make sure that they are out of the way, meaning safe and let them see what they can see. It sometimes is good just to have someone there to lessen the stress while other times it may be a case where they see something you don't.
One last thing - if it is an engine problem, take it to the shop that works on the engines alone - not the truck dealer. If it a Cat 3126, take it to a Cat dealer or if it is a Cummins ISC, take it to the Cummins dealer and so on. They have access to the parts and to the knowledge to do the work right where some of the truck dealer mechanics are 'do alls' within the shop and may not work on the engine enough to get it right.
