Keep your costs down. That’s the mantra maintenance folks hear every day from owners and operations types. Yet when the corner-office whiz kids and number-crunchers go to buy trucks, ease of service rarely gets the attention it deserves, says Jim Bechtold, chief engineer at Kenworth.

If you really want to spec for uptime, Bechtold notes, ask your lead technician to do a walk-around on any truck you’re thinking about acquiring. Here’s what to look for:

1. The first thing to evaluate: the electrical system. Bechtold says to check to see if there are plenty of spare circuits to handle additional power loads. By having pre-wired circuits you’ll save a lot of time and frustration. Kenworth colour-codes and numbers its wires, grouping them in families to simplify maintenance and troubleshooting. Each wire has a circuit designation that indicates the wire’s purpose, destination, and function. “P21AL” means that the wire is Power from the Alternator with 21 indicating an all black wire. “P84SR” indicates Power to the Starter Relay, and 84 tells the technician to look for a black wire with an orange stripe.

2.Does the engine’s under-hood placement give the service technician enough room to work? What about access to filters and components? You want to be able to check fluid levels and change fuel, oil, and water filters while standing on the ground, not on a tire. Also check to see how wiring harnesses are routed through the engine and cab. Do they protect wiring and air lines from chaffing and debris? If they don’t you could be looking at premature wear and downtime, Bechtold says.

3.The HVAC system. “Is the air conditioner mounted in the cab or outside, on the firewall, and is it difficult to access?” asks Bechtold. Mounting the HVAC motor, electrical master connectors, windshield wiper motor, and washer reservoir on the firewall means easier maintenance.

4.Cab and paint. Steel cabs have their advantages, but minor dings and dents can lead to rust if they’re not looked after right away. It’s also important to be able to minimize repair time in cases where there is damage to a quarter panel, bumper or panel on the sleeper. “Kenworth has designed ease of body repair into our trucks,” he says. “For example, replacement panels come with pre-drilled holes so the repair is fit and finish. Otherwise you’re stuck with the more time-consuming matching and drilling.”

All told, Bechtold concludes, buying a truck is so much more than initial purchase price: “It’s a combination of cost per mile which includes everything from maintenance and repairs to resale value; driver retention; and serviceability of that vehicle. If those three buying criteria are followed, your bottom line can be vastly improved.”