Unplanned Maintenance For Truckers

A little unplanned maintenance for truckers can surely put a hole in the pockets, always being prepared is key. Well I was rolling the daily grind and I found myself staring down a check engine light. So I found a safe place and put the truck over to the side of the road and took her temperature. The display told me that the exhaust filter temp was a little too high for the liking. Bummer! So I rolled on down to the shop and checked the old beast in and hung up the keys for the night. I’m sure glad that I have that little rainy day fund so I could spend my night in a nice hotel and relax and leave all the worrying to the other guys. I certainly miss the wife, kids and the dog of course. But, in following with the guidance in book three “Company Driver vs. Lease/Purchase Operator” I haven’t got a whole lot of stress. You know to expect the unexpected and to take the opportunity to relax. I also appreciate the ease in which it has been dealing with my team in the office. When I was a younger driver I felt a lot of pressure to push and that somehow my truck getting sick was a direct reflection of my abilities. However I believe what goes around comes around and if you go when you can go and stop only when it is unsafe or necessary you build a foundation of trust with your team. I guess this is turning into an early thanksgiving because I must say that I also appreciate my friends in the shop who work their tails off to keep me rolling. From the top down, from the wife to the truck to the office team to the shop it takes some very special people to keep this driver running at peak performance and all of them are very much appreciated. So if there was a lesson to be learned it would be to create strong relationships with the people around you so that you can perform at a high level. Keep the rubber to the the road and be safe out there.