The 9 cold weather maintenance tips for your trucks include, but aren’t limited to, assessing battery health, prepping emergency kits, establishing strong safety protocols, and selecting winter-grade products and accessories.
Winter doesn’t just make driving trickier; it speeds up the wear and tear on your fleet’s most vulnerable (and pricey!) parts. Reports reveal that hydraulic system failures shoot up to an astronomical 340% in the colder months, thanks to fluid thickening and seal degradation.
For you, mastering winter care is an intelligent financial move to keep those bulky bills away.
Don’t get caught in the cold. Keep reading to find out all there is to know about keeping your trucks in the best shape during winter months, and how Cartrack can help you achieve that.
The 9 crucial tips for maintaining your fleet trucks in cold weather include:
Take a look at each point in greater detail:
Freezing temperatures can put some serious strain on a truck’s battery, which is why regularly testing battery health is one of the most important of the 9 steps.
Did you know that winter conditions can cut your truck’s battery capacity by up to 50%? The need for extra power to start up the truck on cold mornings makes things even worse.
If you’re consistently checking your trucks’ batteries, you’ll know whether or not they're ready to take on harsh winters. Ensure that any connections aren’t rusty or corroded; check that the battery is actually charging & in good condition; and if the battery is leaning towards four years old, consider having it replaced.
The last thing you want is for your fuel to crystallise & gel, damage the inner workings of your truck, and set your whole workweek back through downtime.
The cold temperatures can alter your fuel and its viscosity, causing it to turn into a sludgy, wax-like substance that does more harm than good. Your engine could potentially fail.
Ensure you’re prepared with winterised fuel or anti-gel additives, as these keep your fuel in good condition and prevent it from gelling. This also means the trucks' filters and systems remain free of blockages.
Just as special precautions are taken with diesel, standard vehicle fluid management needs the same level of attention. Windscreen washer fluid, oil, power steering fluid, and coolant all need to be at their correct levels, and winter-friendly options should also be considered.
Picture this:
One of your drivers is on the road, heading out to make their delivery in the dreary, winter weather. They get a load of road spray (debris consisting of water, road dirt, and mud) kicked up onto the windscreen, compromising their visibility. They activate the washer fluid to clear the screen, but it’s diluted or has partially frozen. It only creates more sludgy dirt across the windscreen and worsens your driver’s visibility.
Part of driver safety is ensuring that fluid management is thoroughly and intentionally controlled.
Consider getting winter-grade washer fluid & car oil to ensure smooth fluid flow, and closely monitor coolant & power steering fluids, as their performance levels can change when the weather drops.
It goes without saying that strong tyres with the right level of traction are key to staying connected to slippery, wet, and potentially icy winter roads.
Always check the tyre grip! Tread depth on your tyres is what will save your drivers from dangerous situations in winter conditions, like loss of control and hydroplaning. Ensure that the depth of your tyres isn’t lower than it should be, and consider replacements if there’s some unevenness.
Consider snow-ready or winter-grade tyres (with deeper treads) for high-altitude areas that typically experience snow, like the Drakensberg or the Eastern Cape.
Finally, don’t forget to regularly check the air in your tyres. When the temperature drops, so does the tyre pressure, and this ultimately impacts wear-and-tear & fuel efficiency.
Your drivers need to be comfortable and in good health during their trips, especially when they’re long-distance. Part of helping them maintain this is by ensuring that the heaters and defrosters are in good condition.
When the heaters and defrosters are working well, they keep your drivers comfortable, which means your drivers are secure and fully engaged.
But beyond this, heaters and defrosters help with increasing visibility when condensation or misting is happening in the truck. They can also help warm the truck up if it gets caught in the snow.
Test these functions, check filters, and clean out vents if necessary to ensure you’re prepared for the cold.
Look out for potential worn-down and stiffening components. Suspension parts, like springs and shock absorbers, should be properly lubricated so they don’t become stiff and fail. Brake parts, like rotors and pads, should be checked for corrosion or cracking.
These functions are non-negotiables, because the winter chill can threaten their level of performance.
Grease your suspension parts and replace your brake parts if necessary, especially if you suspect corrosion or other signs of wear-and-tear. Also ensure that the brake system air tanks remain dry, so that moisture caught in these air systems doesn’t freeze and disrupt braking function.
Setting clear rules & channels for communication is the key to coordinated safety and risk management.
Guidelines and protocols need to be clear so that everyone is prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
Your drivers should have a very clear understanding of what they need to do in an emergency and how to report them. Decide who monitors what, who will communicate with drivers, when operational adjustments happen, and other relevant situational factors.
Ensure you’ve got your reliable towing and repair companies on speed dial, just in case.
Before the extreme cold even hits, get your fleet of trucks prepped and ready with a comprehensive service & check-up.
A pre-winter service does most of the work for you.
You can quickly address any changes or upgrades that need to be made, and even get a second opinion from your service provider regarding products you’ll need for your trucks.
You could have all the inspections done, products purchased, and necessities in place, but the unexpected can still happen. Keep emergency supplies stocked so your drivers remain safe in emergencies.
You can never be too careful!
Here’s what should always be kept in truck emergency kits, regardless of season:
Yes, Cartrack can help you prepare your fleet for the freezing cold, thanks to the advanced features of our fleet management platform. With FleetWeb, you can focus on what matters most when it comes to fleet winter management, like maintenance, reminders, operational efficiency, and reducing downtime.
Here are a few key features:
Our proactive features combine Internet of Things (IoT), vehicle sensors, AI, and predictive analytics to collect data. This data produces comprehensive insights and analyses to detect potential problems & equipment failures, saving you and your business from seriously costly downtime.
The predictive nature of this feature ensures that your vehicles stay in tip-top condition, and you’ll see a massive improvement in asset utilisation.
Optimally functioning trucks are trucks that aren’t wasting fuel, are maximising operational efficiency, and are ultimately reducing business expenses.
In connection with predictive maintenance, our platform can provide you with all reminders related to inspections and maintenance. And, if you’ve thought about something in particular and want to schedule maintenance yourself, we have a custom form that you can fill out and send.
Get your reminders and alerts on general servicing, but also receive real-time notifications for any faults, unexpected fluid fluctuations, worn car parts, and much more.
Accidents can still happen. Communicate directly with your drivers if a fault occurs while they’re on the road and let them know what the next steps are.
The winter months can put a serious strain on your operations. Drivers are likely idling more, fuel consumption rises, and maintenance demands tend to be higher than usual.
But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Operational efficiency can only be achieved with total fleet visibility, and fleet visibility needs a sophisticated fleet management platform like FleetWeb.
With complete oversight, you can quickly take the right steps to correct these operational strains. Additionally, with our automated and smart tools available to you, you can stay ahead of the winter blues and keep your trucks moving with minimal interruption.
How your drivers behave on the roads is already an immediate concern, but when winter conditions increase the danger levels, keeping an eye on them becomes even more crucial.
If your drivers are aggressive on the roads, they risk fuel waste, increase the risk of wear-and-tear, and essentially apply pressure on the truck’s performance overall.
In winter, drivers face slippery roads, poor visibility, and extra structural cold weather stress. All these factors lead to a reduced level of safety. With our AI-powered driver monitoring and scorecard features, you can successfully monitor your drivers and ensure they’re being responsible.
When your drivers aren’t being safe on the roads, you can use the scores and recorded events to actively coach them and give them data-driven feedback. Not only do you guarantee better safety for your drivers, but it’ll likely push them towards more careful, safer driving throughout the seasons.
Weather changes can stir up anxiety about your trucks, their performance, your drivers’ safety, and the pressing importance of putting precautions in place. But when you're well-prepared, there's no need to worry.
Every step taken to achieve a safer fleet—whether big or small—means your fleet stays in an efficient and road-ready condition throughout the winter months. Partner with us, and we’ll provide all the technologies needed for you to achieve total oversight of your fleet’s performance, safety, and condition; from the inside out.
Let Cartrack help you keep your fleet running smoothly, no matter the weather. Contact our dedicated professionals to book a demo or find out more about our offerings!
Don’t let the winter freeze your fleet. Discover 9 essential cold weather upkeep tips to prevent fuel gelling, protect battery health, and maintain uptime.
