Breakdowns are a fact of life when you are a career truck driver. They will happen at the worst possible time and probably in the worst possible place, it’s like Murphy’s Law in action. You can still be prepared and handle the whole situation like a pro and get back on the road as soon as possible. Here are some roadside assistance truck repair tips to get you back to driving.
Be Prepared
A big part of planning your trip is to know your route and what services are available to you along the route. Where are the safe places where you can park until someone can come and fix your truck. If you can make it to one of the big truck stops have not only repair facilities but they will have a restaurant, showers and other facilities for you to use in the meantime. If not make sure you have a charged cell phone and the list of emergency numbers programmed in.
You can reduce the chances of breaking down by always going through your checks both before you head out and after you have returned. This will help you find any issues with your truck and deal with them right away. Be careful to check your truck in the day time, using a flashlight at night can cause you to overlook some potential problems. Here is what to do when your truck breaks down. https://www.youtube.com/embed/urneDEeO5B4
Staying Safe
Breaking down can be dangerous if you are stuck on the shoulder, traffic can pass by at high speed and accidents can happen easily. Stay in your vehicle until help comes. If you possibly can then pull off on an off ramp rather than on the highway. You can also find yourself in unsavory neighborhood and if you do then stay in your locked vehicle until help comes.
Staying Safe
Breaking down can be dangerous if you are stuck on the shoulder, traffic can pass by at high speed and accidents can happen easily. Stay in your vehicle until help comes. If you possibly can then pull off on an off ramp rather than on the highway. You can also find yourself in unsavory neighborhood and if you do then stay in your locked vehicle until help comes. Here are some things that you should do if your truck breaks down to keep yourself safe.
- Find the widest space possible to pull over, turn on your flashers and watch the traffic behind you
- Ease off to the side, don’t make a hard turn or you can end up in a ditch
- Set your flares at regular intervals to alert drivers that you are broken down
- Opening the hood is a great indicator of mechanical problems
- Find out if the problem is one that you can fix yourself
- Alert dispatch right away that you are having problems and keep them up to date throughout the process so they can keep the client informed that there will be a delay
Breakdowns are never fun, but if you keep your wits about you, you will get through it and be back on the road in no time.