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The Quest for Uptime: It begins with Preventive Maintenance checks preview image The Quest for Uptime: It begins with Preventive Maintenance checks article image

The Quest for Uptime: It begins with Preventive Maintenance checks

We're learning. We are doing a better job at keeping trucks out of the shop and out on the road earning money, but it's been a steep learning curve. Ever since the first Diesel Particulate Filters appeared in 2007, fleets have been struggling to diagnose problems and make the necessary repairs. One of the greatest hurdles has been confusing messages and sometimes misleading information. Various sensors are often the culprit, but for the technicians working through the problem the troubleshooting exercise was at first new and unfamiliar.

IN PRINT — A Sense of Scale: The push for more bypass programs is on preview image IN PRINT -- A Sense of Scale: The push for more bypass programs is on article image

IN PRINT — A Sense of Scale: The push for more bypass programs is on

Time is money when stuck in the lineups for roadside inspection facilities. Drivewyze, the Canadian maker of an app used to bypass these ever-dreaded "coops", has clocked a typical delay at three minutes and 37 seconds per truck - or about $12 per visit when considering fuel, labor and downtime. Those who are actually pulled in for an inspection can expect higher costs than that.

IN PRINT — Better Safe than Sorry: Safety procedures are there to protect, not annoy preview image IN PRINT -- Better Safe than Sorry: Safety procedures are there to protect, not annoy article image

IN PRINT — Better Safe than Sorry: Safety procedures are there to protect, not annoy

Tire irons and jacks are not worth a human life, yet a tire service technician in Whitehorse, Yukon died while retrieving his tools from under a truck he had been working on. The incident happened back in 2011, but it has stuck with me for years because the death was needless and could have easily been prevented - and also because I can't count how many times I have backed a truck out of a shop without first checking to make sure nobody was beneath it.