Preventive and Corrective Maintenance
Maintaining commercial vehicles requires both preventive and corrective maintenance. Each plays a critical role in keeping vehicles safe, reducing repair costs, and ensuring compliance with federal safety standards.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance involves scheduled inspections, services, and repairs to avoid future problems. It lowers repair frequency and overall maintenance costs. This type of maintenance is done regularly, even if the vehicle seems to be working properly. Its goal is to identify and fix small issues before they become serious or cause a breakdown.
Requirements for Preventive Maintenance
- Must be performed on a regular schedule based on mileage, engine hours, or calendar dates.
- Must include services like oil changes, brake checks, tire rotation, fluid level checks, and inspection of belts, lights, and safety systems.
- Must be documented as part of the company’s official maintenance records.
Examples of Preventive Maintenance
- Changing engine oil and filters every 10,000 miles.
- Inspecting and rotating tires every 6,000 miles.
- Checking and adjusting brakes during monthly inspections.
- Replacing worn-out wiper blades before the rainy season begins.
Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance is performed when a defect or failure has already occurred. This type of maintenance corrects a known problem that could affect the safe operation of the vehicle. It must be done immediately before the vehicle is returned to service.
Requirements for Corrective Maintenance
- Must be completed before a driver operates a vehicle that has a listed defect or safety issue on a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR).
- The employer must certify on the original DVIR that the defect has been repaired or that the repair was not necessary for safe operation.
- The employer must keep the original DVIR, the repair certification, and the driver’s review of the report for at least three months from the report date.
Examples of Corrective Maintenance
- Repairing a cracked windshield that was reported after a pre-trip inspection.
- Replacing a faulty brake light found during a post-trip check.
- Fixing a steering issue that a driver noticed while operating the vehicle.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
7-3. Which of the following programs lowers repair frequency and overall maintenance cost?
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