How much is the real cost of trucks going out of service due to preventable maintenance? It seems like such an easy thing—check the engine, check the tires, and good to go. But incomplete pre- or post-checks can have a major impact on a trucking company.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Pre- and post-stop checks can seem tedious at times, but they can make the difference between your business making money and paying out the nose for on-the-road maintenance and delivery delays.
When an airplane pilot prepares to fly a plane, they always perform pre- and post-flight checks to ensure that the plane is in working order and safe for all. Truck drivers need to take a similar responsibility and take it every bit as seriously. When a tire blows out on the road, it could mean accident and injury, and most definitely means towing, off-site maintenance, and delays. And the cost of that truck to go out of service exponentially multiplies if it results in litigation or impacts client relationships.
Accidents or on-the-road incidents due to the lack of proper maintenance will most likely result in a DOT audit.
The cost for trucks going out of service not only includes financial costs, but time, effort, and reputational costs. If a DOT audit results in a “Conditional” status, that means you must allocate resources to create, implement, and manage an improvement plan. Many shipping and freight clients will not work with trucking companies who have a Conditional status, and without those relationships, you don’t have a business.
How can maintenance logs reduce my insurance premiums?
Every year insurance companies look at incidents and any other proof on the record to justify charging a higher premium. A maintenance log goes a long way toward ensuring and documenting a culture of safety at your trucking company, keeping premiums as low as possible.
Maintenance logs are business-savers.
When the DOT or the lawyer comes calling after an incident, the first thing they look at is maintenance logs. Did the truck have proper documentation? Does your company require and enforce documentation as part of your culture of safety?
If the answer is no, the cost of a truck going out of service for preventable maintenance is high. Higher than you and your business want to pay.
And we know that if the maintenance logs don’t tell a favorable story, the insurance company will absolutely increase your premiums.
How can my trucking company avoid the effects of preventable maintenance issues?
Truck drivers are responsible for their own logs, but those logs play a big part in keeping your business on the road. To keep operations lean and profitable, your trucking company must avoid the downstream costs of your trucks going out of service for preventable maintenance.
This means equipping drivers with training and easy documentation tools.
Infiniti-I Workforce Solutions is an easy training program that keeps your employees and owner/operators up to date with your policies and best practices for maintenance and documentation. Maintaining your trucks and being aware of potential maintenance issues can save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.
Don’t let money fly out the door.
The cost for a truck to be out of service is too hefty a price to pay, from maintenance to delivery delays to insurance premiums that might be affected. All told, this could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars out the door instead of in for your trucking company.
Key Takeaways:
- • The cost for trucks to be out of service is too high to risk
- • Preventable maintenance issues can cost your company in legal settlements, client relationships, and insurance premiums
- • Infiniti-I Workforce Solutions trains your drivers to keep detailed and timely maintenance logs
