If you recently bought a truck for your work, you’re likely concerned about taking care of it. After all, you spent significant money to get this asset for your company, and proper maintenance is one of the best ways to protect your investment. Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to keep your work truck in good condition. By following the six suggestions below, you can keep your work truck around for a long time and across all sorts of tough jobs.
Regularly Change the Fluids
One of the easiest and most important things is regularly changing the fluids inside your work truck. Your truck relies on several different fluids to keep things running properly. However, these fluids can become dirty or less efficient over time, which can lead to a decrease in performance or even the need for repairs.
Some of the fluids you’ll want to regularly change include the engine oil, the transmission fluid, and the braking fluid. You’ll also want to check to ensure you always have enough windshield wiper fluid and coolant in your truck. Learn to check these fluid levels yourself or bring your vehicle to a trusted service station at regular intervals.
Add Extra Bed Protection
The truck bed is one area of your work truck that will likely take a lot of abuse. This is where you’re going to haul all your heavy equipment and materials, often without much caution or care. You should consider adding some protection to your truck bed to better protect your truck.
For example, you can get spray on truck bedliner that gives your bed an added layer of protection against scrapes and dents. You can easily spray this material on yourself or have a professional do it for you. Either way, a little investment in truck bed protection can go a long way toward guarding one of the more vulnerable parts of your truck.
Check the Tire Pressure and Tread
Next, your work truck must have good tires. This means tires with enough tread remaining on them and properly inflated tires. All tires wear down over time, but work trucks are especially susceptible because of the difficult conditions under which they work. This makes it even more important to use high-quality tires for your work truck and regularly inspect them.
Tires that are deflated may have a leak, which can lead to poor performance or even an accident. Worn-down tires are also more likely to experience a flat, which could cause a serious headache during your workday. Avoid these issues with some basic tire maintenance every few months.
Know the Truck’s Limits
A big part of taking care of your work truck is knowing what it’s capable of in the first place. If you try to do a job with your truck that it isn’t made to handle, you could cause serious damage to the internal components. For instance, if your truck is only rated to tow 5,000 lbs and you attack more than 6,000 lbs in weight, you could damage the transmission or engine.
Check out your owner’s manual if you’re unsure of your truck’s limits. Inside, you should find both the towing and payload capacities. Then, ensure you know the estimated weight of whatever you want to move with your truck before loading it up.
Adjust Your Driving Habits
Protecting your work truck often means adjusting your driving habits as well. For example, if this is a company truck, you may want to institute a policy of no food in the truck to better protect the interior. You may also need to drive a little more carefully than you normally would, especially when you have heavy equipment or materials loaded up in the back. When driving a work truck, it’s often helpful to think of it as someone else’s property that you are simply borrowing and need to return in good condition.
Park It Somewhere Safe
Finally, always look to park your work truck someplace safe. Many accidents occur when you’re not even in the vehicle due to an unsafe parking space. For example, a car may hit you if you’re parked on the side of the road, or a tree branch may fall on your truck during a storm. Whenever possible, park your work truck inside a garage and away from other people. If you don’t have an indoor spot available, look for a parking space where it’s unlikely that someone will hit your truck and that there’s nothing around that could cause damage while you’re away.