How do you deal with maintenance downtime?

Hey y’all, I’m a business student working on a project about the challenges truck drivers face when it comes to maintenance-related downtime and breakdowns.

I’m looking to hear directly from drivers—company or owner-operators—about your real-world experiences.

General Experience

1. Can you describe a time when your truck broke down or needed unexpected maintenance?
   
   
2. How often do you deal with maintenance issues or downtime on the road?
   

Impact on Work

1. How does downtime affect your schedule or delivery deadlines?
   
   
2. Does downtime impact your pay? If so, how badly?
   
   
3. How does it affect your ability to plan rest, meals, or time with family?
   

Emotional/Physical Toll

1. How do breakdowns make you feel, especially if you're far from home or in bad weather?
   
   
2. Have you ever felt unsupported by your company during a breakdown?
   

Company Support

1. What does your company currently do when your truck breaks down?
   
   
2. Do they offer any compensation or alternative options (like a replacement truck)?
   
   
3. How quickly does your company respond to maintenance issues?
   

Ideas/Solutions

1. What would make your downtime experience better?
   
   
2. If you could suggest one solution to your company, what would it be?
   
   
3. Have you ever experienced (or heard of) a company that handles downtime really well? What did they do differently?
   

 

I usually get pissed at my mechanic

 

@Dave_in_AZ

 

I'm salaried, home every night, I usually thank my mechanic.

 

OMG the college students are going to fix trucking again. SMH

 

You probably have a much better mechanic than my guy.

 

If you work for a good company that maintains their equipment properly like I do, it rarely happens. Last company I was at happened about once a month. One time I even stayed at a hotel in the middle of nowhere out on the road for about eight days.

 

Be nice if the OP would tell us why the questions, what school and what class.

 

what company drivers do when truck stuck in shop.

Owner ops when truck is in shop.

 

That's what God made fishing poles for,,I had no trouble finding something to do during downtime, in fact, I would fake a repair to do home/truck projects. That was bad karma, however for an O/O. Company driver? Tell the shop and go home. The bad part there was you had to use the "spare" truck.