To keep your trucks working well in cold weather, invest in anti-gelling fuel additives & defrosters; and leverage a fleet management platform to get a complete overview of your fleet and its operations. Research shows that traditional vehicles can experience up to a 20% drop in fuel economy during short journeys in cold weather, while battery capacity can plummet even further.
Understanding cold-weather maintenance is key to avoiding the margin-reducing energy losses that winter brings. Keep reading our FAQ to find out more!
The temperature that’s too cold for an engine is anywhere below 90 degrees Celsius. Anything colder than this temperature range, and you risk:
To keep a truck warm in winter:
The temperature that’s too cold for diesel is around 0 degrees Celsius. At this point, diesel starts to crystallise, thicken, and turn into a gel-like substance that becomes hard to filter. When the temperature is lower than 0 degrees, you risk serious gelling and an engine that’s significantly harder to start.
A fleet system helps you manage the maintenance of your trucks by providing predictive maintenance scheduling. A comprehensive system, like Cartrack’s FleetWeb, will combine vehicle diagnostics, telematics, and AI to predict when a vehicle will need maintenance—before breakdowns occur.
You can add a fuel anti-gel additive to your diesel so that it doesn’t freeze. Anti-gel additives need to be added to the tank before the temperatures drop, and preferably before you fill up. This way, you’ll keep your fuel from crystallising and keep your fuel tanks protected.
Yes, a fleet system can monitor truck health. Predictive maintenance and instant notification elements play a crucial role in this. A fleet system usually keeps track of factors like battery status, fuel consumption, engine diagnostics, and tyre pressure.
Yes, an FMS can tell you if your battery is going to fail before the morning shift starts. When you consider that an FMS will consistently monitor something like battery health and send out instant notifications, it’s likely you’ll be alerted before the worst happens. Notifications are also sent based on historical patterns, which helps you execute a proactive approach.
To monitor ‘winter idling’ costs:
These can all be perfectly achieved with the help of a fleet management platform.
Yes, the system can remind you to change to ‘winter fluids’ through predictive maintenance notifications. The system automates these notifications. While you might not get a specific alert for ‘winter fluid', you’ll still receive updates on related factors, such as fluid levels or tank conditions. On a platform like FleetWeb, you can also manually schedule maintenance and customise the request.
The price of a fleet management system largely depends on the size of your fleet, the tools and add-ons you choose, and the package you opt for. Prices are anywhere between R120 and upwards of R1 500. Cartrack’s FleetWeb starts at R119 per month, with the price fluctuating based on your additional feature choices and the offering you choose.
Yes, black ice is a real threat on SA highways, especially on bridges and overpasses. While many locals think this is only a concern for colder countries, black ice is a real concern in local areas like the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal (Midlands), and the Eastern Cape—specifically high-altitude areas.
If your batteries were fine in December, there could be numerous reasons why they’re dead now. But one of the main reasons suggests that the cold weather from the previous months may have reduced the efficacy of the battery itself, reducing its power and exposing aged batteries in the process.
