Maintaining your trucks components...

Each operator or carrier must establish a system of preventative vehicle inspection, maintenance and repair for every truck and all its components on a regular basis.
Every truck or bus operator must keep an up-to-date maintenance and repair record for each vehicle under its control. As a minimum, the record or vehicle file should contain the following:

the make, model, year and serial number (VIN) of the equipment
the lessor’s name if applicable
the date and nature of every repair and maintenance activity carried out on the equipment
the odometer reading at the time of every servicing or repair
a description of the type and frequency of regular maintenance and repairs to be undertaken on the equipment
a record of every axle or suspension modification which affects the gross vehicle or axle weight rating.

Remember the inspection and maintenance program must be regular and systematic to ensure only safe equipment is allowed on the road. Train your driver to always watch his gauges for signs of trouble. It is critical that he immediately communicate with his/her mechanic regarding any problems that he thinks the vehicle might have. And, always remember, the safety of you and others is the most important reason for inspecting your truck and keeping it in productive and reliable operating condition.

LUBRICATION
Every carrier should ensure that each commercial vehicle subject to its control is properly lubricated, and is free of oil and grease leaks.
WEAR LIMITS AND TOLERANCES
Where OEM (original equipment manufacturer) recommended limits are at variance with the guidelines, the OEM limits should be used.
ENGINE CONTROLS
Where the engine is equipped with an emergency stopping device, the engine will stop when the control is actuated.
FUEL SYSTEMS
No tank, strap, mounting bracket or other mounting component should be missing, broken, loose or mounted insecurely or show signs of leakage.
EXHAUST SYSTEMS
No exhaust pipe, muffler, manifold, turbo or tail pipe should be missing or mounted insecurely. No point of the exhaust system shall show evidence of leakage except through drain holes provided by the manufacturer.
DRIVESHAFTS
No drive shaft fasteners, guards or hanger brackets should be missing, loose or damaged, twisted or bent.
NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH
The neutral safety starting switch should not be removed.
The starter will operate only with the gear selector or transmission in “P” (park) or “N” (neutral).
COOLING SYSTEM
No radiator mounting component or attachment should be missing, broken or insecurely mounted.
CLUTCH
No vehicle should move when the clutch pedal is in its fully depressed position. No clutch pedal free travel shall exceed 38 mm (1.5 in) or manufacturer’s specifications.
BELTS
No belt should be missing, loose, broken, excessively cracked or out of adjustment.
REAR AXLE BEARINGS
No rear axle bearing should have insufficient lubrication or give any indication of excessive wear, roughness or damage when the wheel is rotated.

SUSPENSION ATTACHMENTS
No front of rear U-bolts, shackles, center bolts, spring hanger, equalizers, control arms, stabilizers, radius rods, torque arms and their supports and attachments should be missing, loose, broken, cracked, bent, disconnected, perforated by corrosion or welded in an area other than specified by the original equipment manufacturer.
SPRINGS AND ATTACHMENTS
No front or rear springs should be missing, loose, broken, cracked, bent, disconnected or welded. No spring shall be sagged so as to lower the vehicle more than 50 mm (2.0 in) from manufacturer’s specified height.
AIR SUSPENSION
In the case of a vehicle equipped with full air brakes, when the engine is started with zero gauge air in the air brake system, air should not begin to flow into the air suspension system before 65 psi gauge pressure is reached in the system. No air bag or air line should be missing, cut, bruised or crushed and no air bag should be cracked to the braid or mounted insecurely. No bushing, pivot or suspension joint shall be missing, loose or excessively worn and no attachments should be missing, broken, bent or severely corroded.
AIR SUSPENDED LIFT AXLES
With air in the suspension system at normal operating pressure and the pusher or tag axle, if fitted, tested in both load and load sharing modes, no leakage should occur. With air in the suspension system at normal operating pressure, the pusher or tag axle, if fitted, should respond properly to its load sharing control switch or valve.
SELF-STEERING AXLES
All air steering axles should be equipped with an air pressure regulator and an air pressure gauge that is operational and accurate. Steering axle dampers should not be missing, leaking or inoperable.
SHOCK ABSORBERS
No shock absorber or attachment should be missing, excessively worn, loose, broken or disconnected and no shock absorber should show evidence of excessive leaking.
PARKING BRAKE
The park brake should fully release when the release control is operated. No cable or mechanical component should be worn, disconnected, misaligned, seized, frayed, broken, missing or inoperable and no locking attachment shall fail to operate. The parking brake on trailers should be maintained so as to function as intended.
(NOTE: If originally equipped, the warning indicator lamp should be maintained in an operational condition.)
HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS COMPONENTS
No hydraulic or vacuum line, hose, tube or tank should be abraded, restricted, crimped, cracked, broken, welded, chafed, disconnected, have any repairs other than with material approved for brake use, show evidence of leakage or have excessive scaling or corrosion. The hydraulic fluid level in a reservoir should not be below the minimum level as specified by the manufacturer, or where no specification is made by the manufacturer, no more than 12.7 mm (1/2 in)
below the lowest edge of each filler opening. The cap of the master cylinder should not be missing, loose, have a missing gasket or have the vent hole plugged.

POWER BOOSTED HYDRAULIC BRAKES
In the case of a vehicle equipped with power-boosted hydraulic brakes, after the engine has been stopped and the vacuum, air or hydraulic boost has been depleted, holding moderate pressure on the service brake pedal and starting the engine should result in the pedal moving towards the applied position.
In the case of a vehicle equipped with hydraulically boosted hydraulic and electrically driven hydraulic pump for the reserve power system after the engine has been stopped and the hydraulic boost has been depleted, holding moderate pressure on the service brake pedal while moving the ignition switch to the “on” position should cause the pump to start and run and the brake pedal to move towards the applied position.
Any trailer fitted with electric brakes should have all electrical components securely mounted, functional as designed and all wiring insulated so as no internal wire is exposed.
DRUM BRAKES
No brake lining shall show evidence of contamination such as to affect braking performance and no wheel seal should show evidence of leakage. No brake lining should be missing, broken, loose on its shoe or show extremely uneven wear. No mechanical or structural part should be broken, cracked, missing, loose, misaligned, worn excessively, seized or disconnected and no backing plate lands shall be worn so as to restrict free movement of the shoes. No hydraulic brake cylinder should be mounted insecurely, show evidence of leakage or any piston fail to operate. All brakes should be adjusted within OEM standards without brake drag.
DISC BRAKES
No brake pad lining should show evidence of contamination such as to affect the braking performance and no wheel seal should show evidence of leakage. No brake pad lining should be missing, broken or loose on the pad. No disc brake caliper should be missing, cracked, broken, mounted insecurely, or have leaking or seized pistons.
ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM)
The anti-lock brake system and the load sensing devices in particular should be maintained to function as designed.

According to Transport Canada the information specified above must be assembled and kept current for each vehicle or piece of equipment. Vehicle records must be kept for two years at the principal place of business. If a vehicle has been sold, destroyed or returned to the lessor, its records may be discarded after six months.

Failure to have a regular maintenance and repair program and failure to keep vehicle records current will result in a violation being recorded on the carrier’s jurisdictional file or profile. Failure to bring preventative maintenance programs into compliance with the standard may result in further sanctions.