It's a Team's Life

Maintaining Maintenance

MAINTAINING MAINTENANCE

Recently, we took our truck in for preventative maintenance. That got me to thinking about how many follow a set maintenance schedule. In the last year or so the trucking industry has seen less freight and lower rates. Does that cause truck owners to have an “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” way of thinking?

While our revenue is lower than in years past, we still believe that it is important to maintain the suggested maintenance schedule that the manufacturer recommends. In our case and because of the type of freight that we haul, this could mean a week without revenue. We understand this and plan accordingly.

I also wonder, how many of you have preferred shops that you go to in order to get work done on your truck? Do some of you get work done at a truck stop shop? Do you avoid dealership shops like the plague? Do you only go to small shops near your home? 

When we first got our Volvo we had a new and large learning curve. This Volvo is our first. We have had a Kenworth and a Freightliner in the past. We had to figure out where we were going to take our Volvo for scheduled maintenance. At first, we thought we were going to take our truck to the dealership closest to home. That seemed to be the most logical for us. The truck could be in the shop while we were home running errands, meeting up with family and friends or doing projects around the house. Unfortunately, we did not find the shop closest to home to be the best fit for us. When we asked them the type of oil they used for our oil change, they said they didn’t know. That was a big red flag for us.

Our second choice was to take our truck to the dealership where the truck was purchased. The shop was clean and the technicians seemed knowledgeable. We thought we had found a home. During this process of finding our forever shop we had been talking with other Volvo owners. We decided to try a suggestion made by a trusted friend.

Our third choice has been our go to shop since we first went there. The shop is clean. The technicians are very knowledgeable. But what really sold us on this shop is the Warranty Manager. She has taken the time to explain warranty questions as well as many other questions with us and has become a friend. And while the shop is not near our home, we will continue to go there, pay the extra for a pet friendly hotel and enjoy some rest and relaxation while we wait for our truck to  be serviced. I hope that you have found such a shop and maintain maintenance on your equipment.

Here’s to millions of safe and prosperous miles.

Kelly Plumb