Business is all about profits and a trucking company is no different. Apart from the maintenance of the truck itself, you will need to maintain its batteries as well. However, maintenance of truck batteries seems to be a major issue with most fleet companies and their managers especially to those who do not know about the different solutions for battery maintenance and best practices.
Reasons for Battery Failure
All truck batteries are heavy duty and are mainly responsible for firing up the starting system but it also helps in supplying energy to other electrical components of the truck. Therefore, when it fails to operate correctly, everything in the truck right from the cab light outages to headlights will fail. Therefore, it is important that you know the basics of these batteries starting from the different reasons for battery failure. The common reasons usually include:
Improper charging – There are different reasons when the truck batteries do not maintain their charge. It can be loose cables at the battery terminals, corrosion at the battery terminals due to overexposure to the hydrogen gas, parasitic loads that draw energy from the batteries, reduced alternator output, and others.
Vibration – This is another reason that may cause damage to the battery terminals, plate assemblies, and casing.
Incorrect type – The most significant reason of battery not maintaining its charge is the use of batteries that are incorrect in type and rating.
Therefore, consider your truck type to choose between Absorbed Glass Mat or flooded cell batteries and the consider the Cold Cranking Amps.
Battery Maintenance Tips
Proper maintenance of truck batteries will save you money in the long run by extending the service life of the batteries dramatically. Follow these simple and easy truck battery maintenance tips to prevent these from excessive discharge or untimely deterioration.
Always keep the battery cool by parking the vehicle in covered or shaded areas
Store batteries as recommended by the manufacturer about the storage temperature
Turn off all electronics when not in use as these are the basic source of parasitic loads
While exiting the truck power down electronics especially if the engine is to remain inactive for a long time
Keep moving the truck to reduce parasitic loads
Always keep the battery charged to ensure proper functionality
Carry and use a battery charger as and when required
Check the fluid level weekly if the battery has removable fluid caps or is not sealed and always
Fill the truck batteries with distilled water to the correct level.
It is also required that you keep the terminals clean to reduce corrosion.
Pour warm water on the posts, remove the battery clamp with the negative side first for safety with a wrench, dip the cable terminal into baking soda solution, clean the post with a brush, coat them with dielectric grease and re-clamp.
It is also very important for the fleet managers to monitor all other aspects such as the equalization schedule, the charge curve, and the electrolyte temperature along with its efficiency during preventative maintenance of the batteries on a regular basis.
BDRs, Internet of Things, watering and clouds are other useful and smart new solutions in which you can improve battery maintenance.
Ideally, the best way to enhance the life of truck batteries is timely maintenance. This will optimize the capabilities and performance level of the batteries. You will need to first asses the application and site in which it will be used along with battery chargers so that it provides the best value under any given conditions.
These solutions can be implemented quickly and you can effectively reduce the increasing concern for battery management of your fleet.
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