Fleet maintenance guides
Plain-language guides to preventive maintenance, driver inspections, periodic inspections, records, tires and shop costs for trucking companies in Canada and the United States, with the regulations behind each rule.
- Preventive maintenance
- Inspections
- Compliance
- Costs
- Tires
- Shop operations
Preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance schedule for semi trucks
A PM schedule decides when each truck and trailer comes into the shop and what gets checked when it does. Here is how fleets build one, what the rules in the US and Canada require, and a sample checklist to start from.
Inspections
DVIR requirements in Canada and the US
In the US the driver reports at the end of the day’s work; in Canada the driver inspects before driving and the inspection lasts 24 hours. Here is what each rule requires, what to do with a defect, and how long to keep the paperwork.
Compliance
DOT annual inspection: what’s checked and how to stay compliant
Every truck, trailer and converter dolly in US interstate service needs a periodic inspection at least once every 12 months, with proof on the vehicle. Here is what the inspector checks, who can do it, what to keep, and how Canada’s programs line up.
Compliance
CVIP and periodic truck inspections in Canada, province by province
Every heavy truck and trailer in Canada must pass a periodic mechanical inspection at a licensed facility, and how often depends on the province and the vehicle. Here is the national standard, how Ontario, Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec run it, and what to keep on file.
Compliance
Truck maintenance records: what to keep and for how long
US and Canadian rules both require a maintenance file for every truck and trailer, and auditors ask for it by unit number. Here is what goes in the file under 49 CFR Part 396 and NSC Standard 11, how long each record must be kept, and how to organize it so an audit takes minutes.
Costs
How to calculate fleet maintenance cost per mile
Maintenance cost per mile turns a year of repair bills into one number you can compare across trucks, models and years. Here is the formula, what belongs in it, a worked example for three trucks, and how to use the result when a unit starts costing more than it should.
Inspections
CVSA out-of-service criteria: what puts a truck out of service
An out-of-service order stops a truck at the roadside until the defect is fixed. Here is who writes the criteria, what inspectors find most often, and what the carrier has to do afterwards in the US and Canada.
Tires
Truck tire tread depth: legal minimums in the US and Canada
Steer tires and the rest of the truck have different legal minimums, and the US and Canadian numbers do not match. Here are the rules, where to put the gauge, and how to keep a tread log that tells you when a tire should come off.
Shop operations
The truck repair work order process, step by step
A repair that lives in a text thread and a mechanic’s memory costs you twice: once in downtime, and again when an auditor asks for the record. Here is a work order process a small or mid-sized shop can run every day.
Shop operations
How to choose fleet maintenance software for a trucking company
Most trucking companies outgrow the spreadsheet the first time an auditor asks for a truck’s file or a PM gets missed. This guide covers what the software has to do, what to ask before you buy, and how to move your records without losing any.
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