How To Choose The Right Truck Repair Shop
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure:
Lets face it! Truck repairs are a necessary evil and are an unavoidable part of truck operations. This is because of the huge loads they transport all the time between states and across borders, and the long distances they travel, often on rough inhospitable terrain. Their engines and bodies are thus constantly subject to wear and tear. The objective of the truck owner-operator is to reduce this wear and tear, so that breakdowns do not occur and the consequent costs, time losses, etc. are minimized.
Preventive maintenance programs:
The best way to reduce repair costs is to have professional preventive maintenance programs for the trucks. A preventive maintenance program is a cost-effective measure that will reduce the possibility of future breakdowns or more expensive repairs later on. Based on these programs, the trucks will be serviced regularly headlight-to-taillight as per laid down schedules. In this way, defects that are developing in the trucks will be detected and corrected early on, before they become major problems entailing much costlier repairs. Worn out parts like alternators, timing belts, bearings, etc. will be replaced before they break or stop functioning. This will save the time and money spent on embarrassing wayside breakdowns and repairs and will help to keep up the delivery schedules for the goods being transported.
Search for the right truck repair shop:
Such a preventive maintenance program is a long term project and has to be a well-planned venture. It also needs the support of a good and reliable shop. Here are a few suggestions on how to search for the right truck repair shop which will meet the desired purpose.
The search for the right repair shop should start sufficiently early, much before a contingency arises. Use your Yahoo local and Google local search facilities to locate the available repair shops in and around your town. Using the website data, make a short list of 8 to 10 truck repair shops which will likely meet your requirements.
Visit each of these shops in person and have a look around. Collect details of the equipment available, the number and qualifications of the technical staff, the shops terms of business, its guarantee and warranty policies, and other related details. The visit will also give you a feel of the place, the work ethics, housekeeping methods, attitude of the management and staff, the age of the establishment, and so on.
You can also ask around and try to get firsthand information from past customers of these shops. Word of mouth is a valuable source of information.
Finally, get cost estimates from each of these 8 to 10 truck repair shops for undertaking regularly the proposed preventive maintenance program for your trucks. Make a comparative analysis of these estimates and arrive at an informed decision on the right shop for you. It should be borne in mind that the cheapest estimate may not the best; by the same token, the most expensive estimate may not necessarily give the best service in terms of quality.
After a particularrepair shop has been selected, you can give them one or two small orders to try out the actual performance. Once you are satisfied, you can enter into final negotiations and make a long term contract with the truck repair shop for implementing the preventive maintenance program.
Lets face it! Truck repairs are a necessary evil and are an unavoidable part of truck operations. This is because of the huge loads they transport all the time between states and across borders, and the long distances they travel, often on rough inhospitable terrain. Their engines and bodies are thus constantly subject to wear and tear. The objective of the truck owner-operator is to reduce this wear and tear, so that breakdowns do not occur and the consequent costs, time losses, etc. are minimized.
Preventive maintenance programs:
The best way to reduce repair costs is to have professional preventive maintenance programs for the trucks. A preventive maintenance program is a cost-effective measure that will reduce the possibility of future breakdowns or more expensive repairs later on. Based on these programs, the trucks will be serviced regularly headlight-to-taillight as per laid down schedules. In this way, defects that are developing in the trucks will be detected and corrected early on, before they become major problems entailing much costlier repairs. Worn out parts like alternators, timing belts, bearings, etc. will be replaced before they break or stop functioning. This will save the time and money spent on embarrassing wayside breakdowns and repairs and will help to keep up the delivery schedules for the goods being transported.
Search for the right truck repair shop:
Such a preventive maintenance program is a long term project and has to be a well-planned venture. It also needs the support of a good and reliable shop. Here are a few suggestions on how to search for the right truck repair shop which will meet the desired purpose.
The search for the right repair shop should start sufficiently early, much before a contingency arises. Use your Yahoo local and Google local search facilities to locate the available repair shops in and around your town. Using the website data, make a short list of 8 to 10 truck repair shops which will likely meet your requirements.
Visit each of these shops in person and have a look around. Collect details of the equipment available, the number and qualifications of the technical staff, the shops terms of business, its guarantee and warranty policies, and other related details. The visit will also give you a feel of the place, the work ethics, housekeeping methods, attitude of the management and staff, the age of the establishment, and so on.
You can also ask around and try to get firsthand information from past customers of these shops. Word of mouth is a valuable source of information.
Finally, get cost estimates from each of these 8 to 10 truck repair shops for undertaking regularly the proposed preventive maintenance program for your trucks. Make a comparative analysis of these estimates and arrive at an informed decision on the right shop for you. It should be borne in mind that the cheapest estimate may not the best; by the same token, the most expensive estimate may not necessarily give the best service in terms of quality.
After a particularrepair shop has been selected, you can give them one or two small orders to try out the actual performance. Once you are satisfied, you can enter into final negotiations and make a long term contract with the truck repair shop for implementing the preventive maintenance program.
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