How Aquila Truck Centres Help Keep Roads Open Over Winter

With the clocks going back and Winter firmly on its way, thoughts may be turning to the disruption that can be caused on the roads by adverse weather conditions. However, at Aquila Truck Centres we help play our part in keeping the countries roads open, with Highways England entrusting us with the preparation and servicing of their fleet of Gritters.  Aquila Truck Centres have had a long and successful partnership with Highways England and have maintained the gritters for a number of years, with a large amount of the work being carried out at our Tipton depot. There's a lot of prior work that goes into getting the Gritters ready for Winter, with the first vehicles arriving with us in August this year, to ensure that they are ready to deal with any weather conditions that might head our way. Our highly skilled staff are more than adept at ensuring that these vehicles are ready for the most challenging weather and driving conditions.Our expert knowledge of MAN Trucks and MAN Truck Servicing fits in well with Highways England fleet of MAN Trucks, some of which have been in service for over a decade, and our expertise ensures that they are no problems that we encounter that we cannot resolve quickly and efficiently. This is done in a highly cost-effective manner, ensuring that the operators are not over paying for parts and labour and keeping the maintenance of the fleet cost-effective.

Three Practical Tips To Get A HGV Winter Ready

Whilst we would recommend bringing in your HGV to one of our depots to be prepared for the Winter conditions, there are some practical tips that you can follow to help keep your vehicle safe to use on the road and to protect other road users. Our three top tips are: 

1. With HGVs that run on a Diesel engine, you need to plug the engine block heater at night. This should be done even if it doesn't feel 'too' cold. As part of this you should be looking to monitor the temperature of your vehicle to ensure it isn't too cold or too warm. 
2. Ensure that deicer and antifreeze are regularly topped up within your vehicle. One of the most common problems with Diesel trucks struggling to be started over Winter can actually be traced back to low anti-freeze levels.
3. Inspect the tyres on the HGV regularly and ensure that pressures within them are kept to the recommended levels. Winter brings slippy roads which can be treacherous if tyres do not provide enough traction.

If you are looking for a technical partner to ensure that your HGV Fleet operates without problems over the Winter period and beyond, why not contact us at Aquila Truck Centres to keep your fleet in the very best condition?