How do you deal with maintenance downtime?

i go home happily. It's part of the job.

 

It sux to be me.......cuz if it breaks I'm the ones gotta fix it. I've put a front diff in in the parking lot at the Loves in Palestine Ar. Done front bearings and hub seals in Wal-Mart parking lot in Mexico Missouri. Done a power divider behind the Casey's in Pratt Kansas. Done a rocker shaft in the Joplin Sale barn parking lot. Used a map gas torch to get the moisture unthawed in my fuel lines on countless exits in the South Dakota winters. To be clear we weren't gelled up the moisture had frozen and was blocking the fuel line. Bmodel CATS without fuel heaters and extreme cold do not mix unless your prepared. I can have my truck up and going before a service truck leaves their shop. Its also not like i got anything else to do. I leave the house with 1 main goal bank as much cash as possible and get my ### back. I need to be truckin, sleepin or workimg for the good of the mission not twiddling my thumbs.

 

I will actually answer your questions. Background: I started driving farm trucks when I was tall enough to reach the clutch (about 1965 I think). I started driving army truck in 1975. I got my CDL in 1984. I was a company driver and CDL instructor until 2017 when I bought my first truck. A company will just give a spare truck to a driver and send him on his way. He might be sitting a day or 2. An o/o needs to get the truck fixed.

General experience:
1a. I hit a deer once about 7 years ago. Didnt keep the truck from moving, but when they replaced the fender, it was out about a week.
1b. I got my oil changed at a Loves truckstop. 15 miles down the road, my drain plug on my oil pan blew out because they stripped it. I had to have the truck towed about 60 miles to the dealer I bought it from.
2. Routine maint is part of the job, you get it done when it needs to get done. Like oil changes for example. Takes a truckstop maybe an hour to do that, so you are going to be parked for 8-10 hours anyway, you do it then. No big deal. A company driver usually doesnt do any maintenance at all. Downtime is what it is. Not a lot you can do about it. luckily in my case I got the repairs done at home. So in both cases it was just a week off.

Impact on work:
1. Its trucking. Delays happen. Traffic, construction, weather, breakdowns. You get there when you get there.I will do everything in my power to get there on time short of being unsafe. I think most drivers do. If the truck breaks down, then the truck breaks down.
2. As an o/o, if my wheels arent turning I dont get paid. Company drivers depends on company policy.
3. I plan a route at the beginning of the week, but it is a general guide line. If I get tired before I get to where I planned to stop, then I stop where I am. If Im not tired when I get to where I planned to stop, and I have hours remaining, then I dont stop. It isnt complicated. I wont compromise on safety though. Meals, I dont plan. When I get hungry, I eat. This is usually when I fuel or stop for an extended period. I have a fridge.

Em/Phy toll:
1. A break down is a break down. Its trucking, it happens. It sucks, but it is what it is.
2. I got blown off the road once in 1986 and was down for a few days waiting on a truck to be brought out to me and when I called the company to report the accident, the first question they asked was "hows the truck?" and my answer was "Im fine, thanks for asking, the truck isnt going anywhere". That should answer that.

Company support:
1. As an o/o I AM the company. I worked at R&L Carriers and my last 5 weeks there I broke down 6 times (thats why I quit). Companies will do whatever they need to do to get the load moving generally. They have no reason to leave you hanging.
2. They either give you a replacement or fix yours whatever it takes.
3. Again, if the wheels arent turning, no one is getting paid. Companies want you moving, so they generally get right on problems.

Ideas/solutions:
1. Hookers. Companies should send out a companion to keep you company while they take care of your truck. This has got to be one of the stupidest questions I have ever seen. The company doesnt want you sitting any more than you want to be.

 

I took a loaner truck... once.
It was a crappy truck and it took forever to get back to my truck once it was fixed.

Since that time I have refused to take a loaner.
I will sit there until mine is fixed.

 

It's good to have an expense budget in a separate account for Maintenance and Miscellaneous expenses. Basically, I run off of that which I'm now on as I'm waiting for an injector in my truck to be fixed which has been a long on going issue with Paccar motors. During my downtime I'm getting my new Cab card ready. Business never stops in Trucking.

 

I gotta admit I didn’t read it all just seen hookers and said this guy is on to something

 

What good are hookers without blow though?

Demand full compensation!

That's like pancakes without syrup, buscuits without gravy, etc.

 

I was wondering when someone was going to discover that easter egg

 

No wonder you're "wore out".