Martin*, an owner operator truck driver, could tell his alternator was going out, but he couldn’t afford the time to take it in to his local Kenworth dealer. Neither could he afford the $100 per hour labor it would have cost. Instead, he ignored the problem, thinking he could hold out until after his truck payment and insurance were paid. Unfortunately, the alternator wouldn’t wait.

After jumpstarting his truck a few times, trying to stretch it out, finally the jumps stopped working and Martin was forced to call a tow truck to get the alternator replaced. With mileage, parts and labor, the total bill was nearly a thousand dollars.

Many Repairs Can be Done by the Truck Driver

Major repairs, such as bad rings or valves, will often require towing to a certified truck mechanic, but others, like changing out an alternator, fuel pump, bad hose, etc, can easily be done on the side of the road, if the driver knows what he’s doing.