Truckers Pocket Guide

01/24/2024

01/24/2024

This week, TravelCenters of America (TA) announced the opening of a store in Littlefield, Arizona with 210 truck parking spaces.

04/11/2022

Maintenance Monday!! Suspension; your suspension carries your load and reduces the shock that's transferred to your body as your travel the highways! Make sure its in good repair; air bags (red arrow) without rips, tears, or leaks and shocks (green arrow) without leaks or loose bolts. Have a good week ladies and gents!!

03/11/2022

Happy Friday everyone! Your trailer tandems need to be locked in on all four corners to ensure your tandem frame doesn't warp. Over time repeated unlocked tandem frames warp and cause the trailer to off-track (left or right slightly). When sliding your tandems make sure they're in the proper position so your weights are correct (using a truck scale) so you don't get a ticket from DOT/full grown. Have a great weekend everyone!

03/07/2022

Maintenance Monday; g'morning everyone!! Your power steering fluid is another important component to your trucks ease of operation. Having your fluid topped off (between the red & blue arrows) accordingly makes it easy to steer during normal operation regardless if you're moving or not. I usually check this at the beginning of the work week and make sure the cap's snug, so it doesn't fall out. These caps are cheap and have broken on me over the road, which is an easy fix by stopping at your respective truck dealer to get a replacement ($15-25). Have a good week everyone!!

03/04/2022

Happy Friday everyone!! Your tires are some of the most expensive items on your truck that you need to keep it on the road! What I suggest doing is, every time I fill up for fuel I walk around my truck I check my tires for wear patterns that could indicate a problem BEFORE I go down the road. Better have it taken care of in the parking lot of a tire shop vs having road call which is expensive!

02/28/2022

Maintenance Monday!! Fuses are an integral part of your trucks' electrical system, without them certain electrical components don't work. This could be something as simple as your CB radio not working, your marker lights on your trailer, to an ABS issue. It's best to keep about 3-5 extra fuses on your truck for 5, 10, 15, and 25amp respectively. Make sure you place the correct fuse in the correct slot so you don't burn your truck down. Safe travels everyone!

02/23/2022

Happy Wednesday everyone!! Your trucks coolant system is another vital part of your trucks operation. To much coolant, it can leak into the engine compartment and have a pungent odor (coolant burning); to little and the engine can overheat causing irreversible/costly damage! Your engine manufacture will have a warning indicator in your dash console that will illuminate when the engine is low on coolant. Its a nice feature, but its best to visually inspect your coolant reservoir to be sure(pictured)!

The green arrow shows the proper level of coolant required by this truck. The red arrow is the low coolant mark; and its when the coolant alarm in the dash will illuminate and sound.
You should keep two gallons of coolant on your truck, to help you out in a pinch. It'll at least get you to the next truck stop as long as its NOT a major leak (e.g. blown hose).

02/21/2022

Maintenance Monday!! Your oil in your truck is vital to keeping it on the road; the condition and level is just as important. Keeping your trucks oil level is crucial. Overfilling it can be just as bad as not enough, your dipstick is the key.

When your oil is full, it will be near the green arrow. When you need to add oil (yellow arrow), you should add 1 gallon at a time while checking it frequently until its full...NOT OVERFILLING IT!! When the oil is below the first line (red arrow) you are in danger of doing irreversible damage to your engine resulting in costly repairs!!

02/19/2022

Your tires are an integral part of safe operation of your truck. Your tires should be inflated to 100psi (green arrow) cold.

Running your tires between 80-100 (yellow arrow) becomes a safety hazard and should be corrected as soon as possible. Running below 80psi (red arrow) can result in catastrophic failure! If this is your steer tire(s), this is extremely dangerous and should be avoided.

If you are in heavy haul, you should run with your tires at 110psi when heavily loaded. ✌️