Should I take my trk to do a full inspection every 4mos at Frtlnr

If you insist, just take it to one of the Landstar approved shops(such as a dealer) that all the drivers say stay away from......

 

I dont see the need to do this. Minus you keeping up with the daily maintenance needs, the shops who do the 120 day inspections are pretty fair. Some are more strict than others. Just go to the dealer and you should be good.....

 

Taxes..................

 

it is cheaper to maintain a truck at a place and time of your choosing than to repair it on the side of the road by a vendor you do not know. Find a shop or mechanic that other drivers recommend and have them look at it on your schedule. Do a cost analysis every quarter or Bi-annually to determine if this practice is saving you money.

 

I started doing this with my DAF down at the Paccar dealership. I am not interested in crawling around under a truck with a screw driver looking for potential issues. HOWEVER, I think that is how it is. I found the dealer though all good blokes, its a sausage factory of trucks. When the simple inspection order comes in its seen more as a visual and an easy job, rather than run a spanner over everything. Then the ratio to apprentices to mechanics / supervisor has proven even getting the basic service done items are missed regularly. So sadly I think the paid quarterly inspection is a good idea but a waste of money.

As for a good mechanic, if you find one don't tell anyone. In my experience we are all like sheep and eventually that mechanic gets overwhelmed with work and then the inevitable happens. Trouble with independents they don't have access to parts or software so you are back at the dealer. Well that's how it is for my 2013 European anyway.

So now I run a mix of a young mobile mechanic looking to grow who does a fair job with what he can, and down the dealer to be bent over for that genuine experience. I've actually changed tac again and moved to an older truck but that's a different thread.

 

I prefer to go to smaller independent shops that have a good reputation and the owners are mechanics who work there daily. I like to have the same mechanic work on my rig over time and get to know me and my rigs habits and issues. If you were a regular customer at a shop that was also Landstar approved that would be even better. When the same mechanic is looking at your rig on a regular basis I feel that is worth more than a random mechanic at a dealer every so often.

 

You said you were not mechanically inclined.

AS an O/OP you have to be. Period,

Find a dealership that let's you see how they work on stuff, or watch Youtube videos on what you are paying for.