Heavy-Duty Truck Maintenance Tips: Extend the Life of Your Truck

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These heavy-duty truck maintenance tips are sure to extend the life of your vehicle! Our experts have gathered their best tidbits of advice to improve the longevity of heavy-duty vehicles, and we’re happy to share it with you so you can keep on rolling!

Regularly Scheduled Service

The #1 piece of advice any mechanic will give you regarding longevity of your vehicle is to service it regularly. With heavy-duty truck maintenance, a regular maintenance schedule is extra important, since the weight alone can create additional wear and tear compared to smaller cars.
 
M&L Truck Service is proud to offer a service tracking option through FullBay. This program will track your previous visits and calculate when you need to schedule next time. We highly recommend it to help prevent your vehicle from going too long without service, which could be detrimental to it’s longevity.

Prioritize Winterization Service Annually

Winter is absolutely brutal on all vehicles, and it can throw a monkey-wrench in heavy-duty truck maintenance plans.
 
Avoid getting stuck out in the cold by requesting a winterization service from M&L. We’ll check for water in your air systems so you won’t have to worry about components freezing. We’ll also replace your air dryer filters, inspect your battery, and top off fluids. We also recommend checking your tires to ensure you have proper traction, and preparing an emergency kit with food, water, first aid, and blankets in the event of a breakdown.
Image of a white semi-truck and trailer driving on an icy stretch of highway, a good reason to have regular heavy duty truck maintenance and winterization services.

Clean Your After Treatment Filters

A crucial step in successful heavy-duty truck maintenance is cleaning your after treatment filters, such as the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). You’ll get better fuel economy when your DPF is clean, and it will decrease some of the pressure on your exhaust system. Keep your truck’s performance in tip-top shape by requesting a DPF or after treatment filter cleaning at your next appointment!

Drive Smoothly and Responsibly

This one isn’t just good for your truck – it’s good for you, too! Being a responsible and predictable driver will not only reduce the likelihood of dangerous accidents, but it will also help with your heavy-duty truck maintenance. Slamming on brakes, accelerating too fast, and other reckless driving moves can really take a toll on your vehicle, inside and out. Drive smoothly and responsibly, and your truck (and insurance carrier) will thank you!

Image of heavy duty truck driver in the cab of his truck wearing an orange vest and smiling as he prepares to have heavy duty truck maintenance performed.

Don't Put Off Repairs

When you start to notice something is off with your truck, bring it in immediately. Waiting too long can make small problems worse, and even create new problems with other systems. Extend your truck’s lifespan, and don’t wait when it comes to repairing issues.

Luckily, our team here at M&L can do complicated repairs alongside your regular maintenance service.

Heavy-duty trucks aren’t cheap, and you want them to have as long of a lifespan as possible. At M&L Truck Service, our specialty is big vehicles, and our passion is keeping you rolling. Choose us for your maintenance plan, and you’ll be getting the benefit of decades of hands-on experience.

schedule maintenance: 410-754-5531
Picture of Meet General Manager, Bryan Saathoff
Meet General Manager, Bryan Saathoff

Bryan is our general manager and fearless leader. His first car was a Pontiac Ventura and his favorite tool is a Leatherman multi-tool.