Truck Repair Blog: Roadside, DOT & Maintenance Guides
Straight answers for drivers and fleet managers from the Fleet Doc crew: what to do when a truck breaks down on I-26 or I-95, how roadside tire and brake calls actually work, and what gets checked on a DOT inspection.
Click, slow crank, or nothing at all: how to read a semi that won’t start, what to check before you call, and how a roadside tech tells batteries, cables and a starter apart in ten minutes.
Yes, a mobile tire truck can change a steer, drive or trailer tire on the shoulder of I-26 or I-95. Here is what it can and cannot do, where to stop, and what to tell dispatch.
The tow gets authorized before anyone has looked at the truck, and that is usually the expensive part. A straight framework for making the call.
The leak-down limits you are actually measured against, the places leaks really come from, and how to run the air brake test so you catch one before an inspector does.
What 49 CFR 396.17 actually requires, the fifteen Appendix A categories, the paperwork carriers get wrong, and the four violations that put the most trucks out of service.
The first five minutes decide how the rest of the day goes. A practical order of operations for a heavy-duty breakdown on the I-26 and I-95 corridor.
A loaded car hauler lost a trailer tire near the I-26/I-95 junction. Fleet Doc replaced it on the spot — no tow, no unloading.