Tag: truck maintenance

Vocational

How to winterize your trucks before the cold season takes full effect

Temperatures nationwide are beginning their downward trend and some parts of the country are already seeing snowfall. In extreme temperatures, Petro-Canada Lubricants OEM Technical Liaison Brian Humphrey says lubricants can harden or become too viscous, possibly causing equipment to seize up or fail. “To avoid this situation, fleet managers and owner-operators need to use a […]

December 4, 2017

Business

Pushing your truck fleet’s oil drain intervals? Be sure you have the right filter

With new generations of engines and improved oil formulation, fleets and OEMs have added tens of thousands of miles to engine oil drain intervals that have now crept upwards of 75,000 in some long-haul segments. A fleet’s application isn’t the only factor in how long a drain interval can be pushed. The filter has to be […]

August 24, 2017

Technology

REVIEW: Can Lemur’s $100 BlueDriver device and app match up to a $3,000 OBD-II scan tool?

Turn your smartphone or tablet into a $3,000 scan tool for $100? Sounds a bit far-fetched. Is the Lemur BlueDriver more gimmick than genuine? That’s the question we wanted to find out. Scan tools are as important in today’s service tech’s toolbox as any wrench, screwdriver or socket. Maybe more so. They gather data from all the vehicle’s microprocessors and […]

April 23, 2015

Construction Equipment

Everything you need to know about maintenance for propane powered pickup trucks

An increasing number of contractors and fleet managers are looking into the feasibility of running pickup trucks powered by liquid propane gas (LPG). The reason is simple: with the cost of propane running just north of $2 per gasoline gallon equivalent, these trucks make economic sense for a wide variety of applications. (See the sidebar […]

September 1, 2013

Construction Equipment

Ford details maintenance for CNG/LPG F-150, says truck can be specced for either fuel, plus gasoline, but not both

Earlier this week we posted a news story about Ford’s debut of the first factory spec half-ton pickup capable of running on compressed natural gas and liquid propane gas. A few of you wrote in asking whether these trucks were actually capable of running on both CNG and LPG in addition to gas. To answer […]

August 7, 2013

Construction Equipment

GM offers free 2-year/24k-mile maintenance with 2014 Chevy, GMC and Buick models

General Motors has announced that it will begin offering free maintenance to customers who purchase or lease new 2014 Chevrolet, GMC or Buick trucks, cars and crossovers. The complimentary maintenance plan will cover scheduled services for two years or 24,000 miles. Most 2014 vehicles will receive an oil and filter, change four-wheel tire rotation and […]

June 10, 2013

Roadbuilding

How-to: Identify quality air coils

A quality air coil will exhibit good “strength, durability, flexibility, memory recoil and performance in hot and cold temperatures,” say the writers behind parts manufacturer Phillips Industries’ Qwik Tech Tips monthly newsletter. A chief consideration is the material the air line is made of. The company says a shortage of castor beans in 2002-03, the […]

May 7, 2012