For forever and a day, truckers drove rigs with manual transmissions.

Pop your head into any truck cab and you’d see the obligatory manual stick.

But as with everything, times change.

More and more often a cursory cab look will show not a manual stick, but an automatic shifter.

The question is, do automatic transmissions actually offer truckers any advantages?

And the answer to this questions is, in many cases yes. While there are staunch loyalists for both manual and automatic transmissions, the simple fact is each year more and more heavy truck drivers are opting for automatic transmissions.

First, in most cases automatic transmission equipped rigs get better fuel mileage, and when it comes to heavy trucking, fuel mileage is always a primary concern. Who doesn’t want to keep more money in their back pocket as opposed to in the coffers of the fuel companies.

But the reasons [...]

Manufactured in Hagerstown Maryland, the Volvo D13 Turbo Compound engine is truly a game changing piece of machinery and technology.

Hyperbole and exaggeration you say?

Well we make this statement with confidence for a number of reasons.

First it’s the only engine in the heavy truck industry that uses a waste heat recovery system which helps save fuel by capturing lost energy.

Sounds great right? But how does this make any difference to you?

Basically when you burn diesel fuel, typically large percentages of the BTU’s are wasted. The D13 engine actually has a system where it converts exhaust gas into mechanical energy.

The benefits to this is that it not only increases horsepower and torque, it also improves fuel mileage!

Now, if the Volvo engineers had stopped there, this would probably have been impressive enough, but they weren’t done.

They even developed new pistons and even coolant pumps that further enhance the engines capabilities [...]

It is the age old question, which is the smarter move, buying a new rig or a pre-owned one?

Naturally, if there was no price difference the odds are you’d just buy a new rig.

But as we all know, there is a price difference.

So the question now becomes, is the additional cost of a new rig worth the extra expense over a pre-owned heavy truck? Put another way, is “new” worth the additional cost.

Naturally, there is no perfect answer for this, because each situation is unique, however there are several advantages to buying new.

First when purchasing a new vehicle, there will basically be zero wear and tear on that unit. That means, you will be getting the maximum amount of life span out of each component on your rig and there should be few if any surprises. When considering something as valuable as a rig, knowing that the vehicle hasn’t been [...]

Your rig is your livelihood, it is your “home away from home”, work office and so much more.

If you take care of it, it should take care of you.

If you don’t take care of it, it will likely repay you with thousands of dollars in repair costs, costly down time and grief.

Number one, an overheating engine. An overheating engine can lead to engine failure.

If you have a hot running engine, get it in for service immediately.

Number two, starter failure. Starter failures become more common in cold weather, and are definitely something you shouldn’t ignore.

Number three, brake issues. These are a common issue for truckers year round. The causes can be numerous, ranging from brake fluid leaks right through to full on brake failure. (Fortunately modern trucks should only lose partial performance in brake failures).

Number four, U-joint failures. Your U-joints [...]

The importance of proper wheel torque on your heavy truck or rig cannot be over-exaggerated.

It is extremely dangerous to have your wheels either under, or over torqued for a few reasons.

First, any wheel that has not been properly torqued, (after say a wheel repair, replacement or adjustment) can not only cause vehicle vibrations, but also damage to the wheel studs, rims, hubs, braking components and more.

Any of those things can quickly add up to thousands, if not more in repairs.

But as bad as that is, it’s far from the worst that can happen.

It is completely possible that an improperly torqued tire could come off and cause accidents, injury or even worse. This could be everything from tires flying off or even causing an entire rig accident.

So one thing we always recommend is that it is critical that after you have done any kind of adjustments to a wheel, that [...]

Anyone who has spent any time in a rig appreciates the impact that fuel mileage has on their bottom line.

As any trucker will quickly attest, fuel costs a fortune in big rigs.

While there isn’t a lot of good news in this reality, there is a silver lining, if you can improve your fuel mileage, you can add thousands to your bottom line.

Here are two things heavy truck drivers can do to save fuel costs… one of which you can do for free, and the other requires a (very worthwhile) investment.

Drive slower. Studies have shown that cruising at 75 mph burns 27% more fuel than cruising at 65 mph.

Another study found that driving 65 mph burns 20% more than driving at 55 mph.

WOW! Whether you realize it or not, you now understand how with a simple FREE change in your behaviour, you could easily save you thousands, [...]

When it comes to ongoing vehicle maintenance, what is the vehicle component that is neglected more than any other?

It is far from rare for us to see rigs with air filters that are absolutely clogged with dirt, debris… and even chemical contaminants.

Many truckers (and truck companies) don’t realize how important having clear air filters are, for the rig itself as well as the driver.

We’ll start with your rig.

First, for engine filters, it is utterly critical that your engine gets a consistent flow of clean air.

A clean engine filter benefits the engine in four ways.

• First, you get better fuel efficiency,
• second, reduced emissions,
• third longer engine life
• and fourth better acceleration and overall engine performance.

So by changing your filter you are saving money, the environment, while at the same time having a better performing truck that should last longer.

And now, the driver of the [...]

Probably safe to say that we don’t need to explain how important it is for truck drivers to have brakes that are in excellent working condition and performing at a high level.

Okay, we’ll point out the obvious anyways.

• It can save your life,
• it can save other peoples lives,
• and it can reduce rig repair costs in the long term.

What are some signs that a rig needs brakes repaired?

Some are more obvious than others.

If you are hearing grinding or excessive noise when breaking, there is a strong chance you may have some issues with the brake pads since usually by the time you hear grinding, that means your brake pads are gone and callipers are grinding on your rotors.

But not all warning signs are quite as pronounced. Some are more subtle.

When you are braking your vehicle, it should continue straight. If it pulls to either [...]

If your rig is overheating, that is definitely something you do not want to ignore.

An overheat rig is potentially a sign of issues that if left untended to, can have catastrophic implications to your rig and pocketbook!

And when we say catastrophic, we aren’t kidding.

Temperature control in big rigs absolutely critical in big rigs.

An overheating engine can cause everything from premature wear and tear right through to outright engine failure.

But what causes an overheating rig? While there are many causes, there definitely are some more common culprits.

– a blown head gasket,
– a failing water pump,
– a coolant leak,
– a bad radiator,
– or even something as simple as a bad radiator cap.

Having said all of that, possibly the most common cause would be a stuck thermostat.

If a thermostat is stuck, (regardless as to whether it is stuck open, closed, or even [...]

An E G R, or Exhaust Gas Recirculation system is an internal part of your rig that reduces vehicle emissions by stopping part of the exhaust gas from exiting the tailpipe, reintroducing it back into the engine.

Over time, it is common (and expected) that your EGR cooler will not function at a high level, as regular day to day rig usage plugs it up with soot, ash, carbon and countless other contaminants.

A free flowing system is very important since a dirty or poorly functioning E G R system increases vehicle emissions, can create leaks or failures, fuel injector issues and sensor problems.

It can even impact turbo charger lifespan and reduce power fuel performance.

Under normal operations, we recommend that an EGR cooler should be cleaned give or take about every four hundred and fifty thousand kilometres.

While many EGR cleaning methods can take a longer period of time to perform and at [...]