Halloween is upon us. Did you know you could dress up your truck as well? Get an awesome costume for your truck and spice up your Halloween night with these five hilarious and spooky ideas:

The Mouth
Use your flatbed as the bottom of a mouth with its tongue sticking out. Create the upper teeth with cardboard or paper and string it along the top of the flatbed and use pink paper or cloth to put just below the flatbed to simulate a tongue. Your neighbors will laugh.

Tasteful Autumn Scene
Turn the back of your truck into a tasteful autumn scene. Decorate the truck with fallen leaves that signify the year’s most beautiful season along with traditional harvest foods like squash, pumpkins and gourds. You could even put a bowl of candy out to keep kids away from your front door on Halloween as well.

Pirate Treasure Trunk
Get a cheap plastic chest, some fake jewelry, a scary skeleton and some sand colored paper to turn your flatbed into a haunted desert island full of scary pirate ghosts and skeletons. You could even make a fake treasure map and conceal the chest somewhere in the recesses of your trunk.

Spider's Lair
Turn the back of your truck into a spooky spider’s lair. Get a pack of fake spider webs from any party store, some scary huge plastic spiders and watch kids try to reach the creepy crawlers for the candy.

Graveyard
A few tombstones maybe a hand reaching up from the ground in the back of your trunk will surely amaze and frighten all who dare to enter the graveyard trunk. This idea can add a lot to the spooky environment.

About The Author:-
Tami Paulus is the Owner of leading Mark’s Old Towne Service, a truck repair and service center located in Anaheim off the 55/91/57 freeways. With experienced ASE certified specialists, we help you keep your fleet safe and running on the road. We realize that fleet managers are very busy, which is why we pride ourselves in thorough fleet maintenance service to ensure you save time, money and unneeded hassles.

In a knee jerk reaction, drivers hurriedly turn off the A/C when they find that the engine is running hot. In their next move, they park the vehicle and switch off the engine. If you find yourself doing one of these or both, please consider some facts about the cooling system and how it operates.

The thermostat attached to the radiator senses the temperature and operates the cooling fan. It means that the cooling fan will start when the temperature reaches the preset limit and stop only when temperature comes down to normal. By switching off the engine you are switching off the cooling fan too and stopping the cooling process.

When the air conditioner is switched on, the fan starts moving and continues to move irrespective of the temperature. By putting off the A/C you are actually stopping the fan when it is most needed. This is the reason why you shouldn’t put the air conditioner off on engine heating. On the contrary, if the engine temperature rises from the blue to the red area on your thermometer and the cooling fan does not start due to faulty thermostat or a blown fuse, you can turn the A/C on to start the cooling fan.

If you find the engine runs hot only in traffic and runs cool on the highway; it is a clear indication that your thermostat is not functioning. You can get the thermostat and cooling fan examined for repairs.

In the meantime cool the engine by turning your A/C on!

About the Author

Tami Paulus is the Owner of leading Mark’s Old Towne Service, a truck repair and service center located in Anaheim off the 55/91/57 freeways. With experienced ASE certified specialists, we help you keep your fleet safe and running on the road. We realize that fleet managers are very busy, which is why we pride ourselves in thorough fleet maintenance service to ensure you save time, money and unneeded hassles

Trucks used for relocation should be well maintained because they are driven long distances. There are many pitfalls that less maintained trucks can fall into on a long journey. Taking proper care of your truck and all of its parts are crucial to being safe on the road.

Neglectful maintenance habits become more of a problem when you are driving long distances and may be far from help. Do not get stuck somewhere with no way to help yourself. Take care of the truck and its parts before you relocate. Here are some things to look out for on a relocation trip:

1. Oil
Make sure the trucks oil has been changed recently, preferably right before the trip. Fresh oil at the correct level makes for a much more efficient vehicle and will greatly increase fuel economy. This is a key factor in any long trip. 

2. Tires
One hazard of long trips is suffering a flat tire. Some flats are unavoidable like you hit a sharp object on the road and could not avoid. Overly worn tires will fail at a much higher rate than newer ones with proper traction. 

3. Engine
Obviously this is the most important part of the truck. Make sure all parts of the engine are working properly. Belts are not worn down, fans cool the engine sufficiently, and transmission shifts smoothly. The last thing you want on a long road trip is irreparable damage to the engine or any of its parts. 

About the Author

Tami Paulus is the Owner of Mark’s Old Towne Service, a truck repair and service center located in Anaheim off the 55/91/57 freeways. With experienced ASE certified specialists, we help you keep your fleet safe and running on the road. We realize that fleet managers are very busy, which is why we pride ourselves in thorough fleet maintenance service to ensure you save time, money and unneeded hassles.

Graffiti on your trucks can appear very unprofessional to your clients. No one wants shipments from trucks that look like rolling tenement walls in an unruly neighborhood. Sometimes this is unavoidable. Graffiti artists will always look for any open space to spray paint, including your trucks. Keeping your trucks under guard is not enough at times. Fortunately, there are other ways to combat truck graffiti and vandalism. Anti graffiti coating is available at most truck repair shops, and can prevent truck graffiti.

Anti graffiti coating is paint designed to prevent other paints, such as spray paint from bonding from the surface of a truck's surface. These products are transparent in color and are very effective at keeping unwanted paint from your trucks' exteriors. Most of these products also are durable enough to prevent damage to the exterior from repeated paint removal. Some paint removal products are very caustic and cause damage to the original paint job, but anti graffiti coatings prevent this damage. 

Quality anti graffiti products resist chemicals and will prevent most spray paint from damaging the truck's exterior. Different spray paint has different bonding properties, so it is important to test for effectiveness. Quality anti graffiti coating is resistant to wearing and peeling over time, and can also protect exteriors from extreme weather conditions wearing down the exterior. These products can also prevent scratches and general wear over time. 

Even if your trucks are not susceptible to graffiti, anti graffiti products are a good idea to invest in because of their general protective properties for the exterior of your trucks. 

About the Author

Tami Paulus is the Owner of Mark’s Old Towne Service, a truck repair and service center located in Anaheim off the 55/91/57 freeways. With experienced ASE certified specialists, we help you keep your fleet safe and running on the road. We realize that fleet managers are very busy, which is why we pride ourselves in thorough fleet maintenance service to ensure you save time, money and unneeded hassles.

In this time period, with the pace of on-time delivery services promising, faster, reliable service, it’s easy to get caught up, in the fast pace of  being on-time than being safe.  On the road however, owner-operator safety is paramount to on-time delivery.  It is easy to believe that you have to be punctual, because you do not want your dispatcher or your company to have to refund half, or all of the delivery funds because of you arriving late; however there are safe and efficient ways to arrive to your destination without being late. 

Traffic laws are set to govern, the speeds and flow of traffic and to limit the risk of injury and death.  Any delivery truck over a ton, has a greater forward momentum.  If posted signs are for 55 miles per hour, you should acknowledge its posting, because if a car brakes in front of you (which they do ) and you are traveling 65 to 70 MPH, with a load of four tons, the reaction time to stop is far less, which puts the company, the passenger car and yourself at a great risk of an accident, and you are still without a delivery on-time.

Calls from clients, are the most vexing calls that a company and driver have to listen to, because they are demanding for their products.  However, these same patrons, paid for their products to be delivered on time and on-schedule, because yes you are working, but they are also running a business.  Many times clients are creating their budget sheets, production schedules, all based on when your truck arrives to their lots.  To avoid unnecessary phone calls, plan ahead, check route (weather, road conditions, construction, tolls, police check points ) with GPS systems.  Planning ahead, will make your way successful, and on-time.

Trucks at times do breakdown.  This can put a financial strain on the driver, but also on the company; in that without a delivery being made, payment cannot be received.  Simple communication between your dispatcher and the client can resolve, a great deal of frustration.  Take the time to repair the truck, without a safe truck, there can be no on-time delivery, why? - Because the truck is non-operable to goods to the client. 

Overall, obeying traffic laws, common sense, planning ahead, fixing repairs, are keys needed to be a successful on-time delivery service, but most importantly, safe.

About the Author

Tami Paulus is the Owner of Mark’s Old Towne Service, a truck repair and service center located in Anaheim off the 55/91/57 freeways. With experienced ASE certified specialists, we help you keep your fleet safe and running on the road. We realize that fleet managers are very busy, which is why we pride ourselves in thorough fleet maintenance service to ensure you save time, money and unneeded hassles.

There’s a growing trend in medicine called wellness, where patients avoid long-term medical problems by focusing on staying in good physical and mental health. This has always been true in the automotive industry, where regular truck service and preventative maintenance greatly extends the life of the vehicle.

Truck repair can be scheduled by owners, operators, drivers or fleet managers based on the calendar or a vehicle’s mileage, or based on issues in the vehicle’s performance; but it always makes sense. It’s an important way to stay safe, stay in compliance with state and federal programs and stay on the road for your business and livelihood.

What Are the Service Needs of Your Truck?
Most drivers, owners and fleet managers seem to understand the benefits of maintenance while a truck is under warranty, but often lapse into irregular service intervals when the repairs are no longer covered by the manufacturer.

Whether you need light commercial van, truck or bucket truck service, you need the thorough diagnostic capabilities of experienced truck repair professionals. With these vehicles, medium/heavy trucks, buses, trailers and other equipment, your service should include a thorough inspection. Your vehicle(s) needs fluids and lubricants checked and occasionally flushed. Oil needs to be regularly changed, increasing in frequency depending on cargo, and an air filter change can result in a 10% bump in a vehicle’s fuel efficiency according to statistics compiled by the Department of Energy (DOE).

A thorough inspection means that your truck’s chassis, suspension, springs (leaf or coil), brakes, u-bolts, alignment, coolant and radiator systems, transmission and differential gear, tubes and hoses, battery, tires and more has been professionally evaluated. Truck repair also often includes a wash to remove pollution, road salt and highway sludge, which can extend the life of your fleet, even if you only have a single vehicle.

If you’re managing a fleet of trucks, you may be facing a lot of maintenance problems such as vehicles breaking down too often and equipment parts becoming outdated. However, there are ways to prevent this from happening, the most helpful solution being Fleet Maintenance Software. 

Save Money
With Fleet Maintenance Software, it can substantially save you money and time. For the best results, put employees through training to understand how to work the program before implementing it. Software helps identify fleets that are costing more money to run by identifying the top 10 percent worst operating units.

Prevent Outdated Parts and Overworked Vehicles
Perform an inventory to determine what you have. With annual inventory you may have a lot of outdated parts or not realize how many parts you actually do have available. Without the maintenance software your employees will be working harder unnecessarily and working at a disadvantage in comparison to your competitors.

The software will help you and your employees control assets for the company by knowing what exactly is in inventory, know pricing of equipment, specifications of equipment, history of its maintenance, what PM schedule applies, when the next service is due, warranties that may apply to each asset and which ones are still available. Not to mention other operational and administrative information that they will have access to in order to do their best at their job.

Improve CSA Score
Fleet maintenance management is a critical part of scoring your best CSA rating, as maintenance factors into a fleet's overall CSA rating. It is counted by a percentage score from your company and compared to your competitors’ rating. By using Fleet Maintenance Software, this is no longer a concern because it ensures that your ratings improve greatly. It helps organize vehicle maintenance effectively and protects them by sending out work orders for such things as oil changes and new tires.