How To Keep Your Truck Driving Business On The Up And Up

How To Keep Your Truck Driving Business On The Up And Up
12 min read

If you've got a owner operator truck driving, then you know that there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Trucks need to be properly maintained and cared for, and it's up to the truck owner (that's you) to make sure that this happens. If your truck isn't regularly inspected and maintained, then it can quickly become unsafe for both you and your passengers. That being said, there are some simple steps you can take to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape:

You can invest in the right training for your drivers.

One of the best ways to help your drivers get better at their jobs is through training. It's important that you invest in this type of training, because it can help keep your business on the up and up.

If you want to learn more about driver training and how it benefits your company, then keep reading!

Don't forget about driver safety.

You can also provide driver safety training yourself, or have it provided by a third party. It's important that you make sure your drivers know how to stay safe on the road. Driver safety training can come in many forms: it could be through an online course, classroom instruction, or even just talking about best practices with other drivers over coffee.

The best way for your business to ensure that all of its employees are up-to-date on their knowledge is by having regular meetings where new information is shared with everyone in attendance so everyone knows what they need to do at any given time during their shift (or before going out on one).

Regularly inspect your truck

  • Regularly inspect the brakes.
  • Check the tires for wear, cracks and bulges.
  • Look at all lights and make sure they're working properly. If you have any broken light bulbs, replace them immediately before driving at night or in bad weather conditions when visibility is low and other drivers may not be able to see your truck easily enough to avoid hitting it with theirs!
  • Inspect mirrors on both sides of your vehicle (or trailer) to make sure they are clean and free of cracks or damage that might impair their ability to reflect what's behind you while driving down roads where there could be other vehicles approaching from either direction at high speeds."

Keep your log book in order

The log book is the most important document in your trucking business. It's how you keep track of your hours, record them and prove that you've been working the hours that you claim to have worked. The company will use this information to calculate how much money they owe or owe you for driving for them, so it's critical that your log book is always up-to-date and accurate.

If you don't have a log book yet, get one as soon as possible and keep it with all other important papers like registration documents and insurance papers in a safe place where no one else can find them (like under lock and key).

Your next step is to make sure that everything written down in there is accurate--if someone else has been driving for some reason (for example: sick), make sure they write their own entries into the book instead of just signing off on yours; otherwise they could end up getting paid twice while only doing half their usual shift!

Check for and repair any damage on the road

  • Before you leave on your next trip, take a moment to check the outside of your truck for any damage. If you notice any dents or scratches, take pictures and note their location.
  • After returning from a trip, do another thorough inspection of the exterior of your vehicle. Look for things like tire wear (especially on the edges), scrapes or scratches on doors or fenders, missing bolts/nuts/screws and so forth anything that looks out of place from when it left home base will need attention before hitting the road again.
  • If any damage has been done during transportation services and can't be repaired immediately by yourself or someone else in-house (such as a mechanic). Report this information back up chain. So that it can be addressed by those responsible for paying out claims against drivers' policies. If needed later down line when reporting losses via insurance claims. Becomes necessary due to unforeseen accidents occurring unexpectedly during transit time. Spent away from home base locations where repairs might normally occur regularly enough. Throughout regular working hours provided there aren't too many vehicles needing repair. Simultaneously causing delays due too many people needing service simultaneously. Which would cause backlogs resulting in frustration among customers. Who would rather get their own vehicles fixed right away rather than wait weeks/months depending upon severity level.

Keep an eye on your tires, and make sure they're in good shape before you leave.

Tires are the most important part of your truck. They're what makes it go, so you need to make sure they're in good shape before you leave. Here are some tips for taking care of them:

  • Make sure your tires have at least 3/32" tread depth. If they don't, replace them immediately.
  • Rotate and balance your tires every 5,000 miles (or sooner if you notice issues). Also check alignment regularly; schedule an appointment with a mechanic if yours seems off or unevenly worn across pairs of wheels

You need to care for your truck like it is one of your children.

Your truck is a big investment and you need to treat it with the respect it deserves. The same goes for your employees' trucks, as well.

If you want your business to succeed, then you need to make sure that your fleet of vehicles is in pristine condition at all times. This means regular maintenance and repairs--and maybe even some upgrades! You'll also want to make sure that all of the tires are properly inflated and aligned so they don't cause any damage while driving on the road or highway system (especially if they're off-road).

If possible, try not using any type of oil additive--this could actually reduce their lifespan instead of extending it; however if this isn't possible then go ahead and use one!

Keep track of your fuel consumption.

The most important aspect of keeping track of your fuel consumption is knowing how to calculate it. The first step is to find out the amount of fuel in your tank when you start driving, and then subtract that number from the total gallons purchased at the end of each day. This will give you an idea of how much gas you used during that time period--and also show whether or not there was any room for improvement (or maybe even some room for celebration).

If it turns out that your business's trucking fleet has been burning through too much gasoline than budgeted, make sure everyone knows about it so they can work together toward finding ways to reduce costs in other areas such as maintenance or insurance premiums. If, on the other hand, one particular driver has been exceeding expectations by using less gas than expected for their route: congratulations! You've got yourself another star employee!

Maintain your truck, trailer and equipment.

Maintain your truck and trailer.

This is one of the most important parts of keeping your business on the up-and-up. You have to keep up with regular maintenance for both your truck and trailer, or risk having costly breakdowns that could potentially ruin your day (and week). There are many different types of maintenance that need to be done on a regular basis: oil changes, tire rotations, fuel filters--the list goes on! If you're not sure how often something should be done or where it's located on your vehicle, check out this handy guide from our friends at Diesel Planet: https://www.dieselpzltdusa.com/trucking-maintenance/.

If anything goes wrong while out on the road...

Have an emergency kit ready in case anything breaks down while driving around town or across country roads; this way when something goes wrong with one part of your truck/trailer combo unit we can quickly fix it without having too much downtime during our trip which means more money saved too!

Stay on top of your logbooks.

Keep track of all your driving time, fuel consumption, maintenance and accidents. You'll want to keep a logbook for each truck you own (and even if you only have one). This is important because it lets you know how much money is being spent on every mile driven. It also helps pinpoint any problems or issues that may arise during the course of a shift or trip. So that they can be addressed before they get out of hand.

Keep track of any traffic violations as well; this will help ensure that these infractions don't happen again in the future!

Check the brakes and tires regularly.

You're going to want to check the brakes and tires regularly. Brakes are a crucial part of any vehicle, and it's important that they work properly at all times. If you don't have good brakes, it could be dangerous for both you and other people on the road. You'll also want to make sure that your tires are in good condition so that they can withstand any bumps in the road or potholes that might pop up while driving around town.

Checking these things can help prevent accidents from happening because if something is wrong with either one of these parts of your truck, then there's less chance of them working properly when needed most which means there could be an accident since those parts won't work as well anymore (or at all). So checking them regularly will help prevent this from happening by making sure everything works properly before heading out onto busy roads full of traffic jams where everyone else might get impatient with delays caused by problems like this!

Get your tractor serviced regularly.

A regular tractor inspection is crucial to keeping your truck on the road. It's important to have a professional look over your tractor and make sure everything is in working order, from the engine to the tires.

This can help prevent future problems from cropping up down the line and save you money in repairs or replacements costs (which can be very expensive).

Conclusion

Now that you know how to keep your truck driving business on the up and up, it's time to get out there and make some money. You have all the tools necessary for success at your disposal: a reliable truck with good tires, brakes and fuel consumption; regular maintenance checks; and a logbook that helps you keep track of everything from fuel consumption to hours spent behind the wheel.

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Samiul Hasan 2
Joined: 1 year ago
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