Winter is the most difficult season for trucking businesses. Rainy and muddy roads are difficult, but snowy roads are almost impossible to drive on and can also be harsh on rigid trucks. To avoid downtime and prevent major problems with your rigid truck, you need to properly maintain and service it before the winter seasons starts. This is the only way to ensure your fleet is up and running regardless of whether you have recently purchased rigid trucks for sale or own few for few years now.

Here are the best maintenance steps that will ensure your rigid truck are prepared to hit the harsh winter roads.

• Have the truck’s battery checked by a professional. If the battery cap is removable, check the fluid level regularly. However, be careful with the battery and avoid any contact with corrosive deposits or acid.
• Instead of idling, keep your rigid truck running at highway speeds in extremely low temperatures. This can allow your truck to reach the required temperature for regeneration and engine fluid cycling processes.
• If your truck uses a diesel engine, plug in the engine block heater each night, so it can remain warm the next day. This is highly recommended in extremely low temperatures.
• When plugging in the block heater, make sure your rigid truck is at normal operating temperature. Block heaters only maintain temperature, they are not able to heat coolant from ambient temperatures.
• Before the winter season starts, check the tires to see if they are worn out and properly inflated. Low temperatures mean extremely difficult and slippery driving conditions, which can easily lead to accidents or major breakdowns.
• Before each use, inspect all trucks thoroughly to ensure there are no frozen components. If any of the trucks have a starting, breaking, safety or fuel-related issue, visit your mechanic immediately.
• Check the air and oil filters to ensure they are still in good condition, because they can impact the efficiency of your rigid trucks as well as the fuel consumption.
• Check all lights and bulbs and replace the burned out ones. Also, clean the road grime from lenses regularly using a dry rag to prevent scratching.
• If the temperature is below freezing level, add a bottle of fuel deicer to your fuel tank to prevent the fuel from freezing.
• Replace the blades with special rubber-clad (so-called winter) blades to help you eliminate ice build-up. Also, get an ice scraper for emergency case.
• Most rigid trucks for sale come with emergency kits, so make sure you have one before the winter seasons starts: boots, blankets, flares, a pair of gloves, a small shovel, tire chains, a flashlight (with more batteries) and a car charger.