Selling Your Older Car: Why a New Paint Job Matters
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Selling Your Older Car: Why a New Paint Job Matters

Last year, I bought a new car. Rather than trade in my old one, I decided to sell it myself. Before I put it in the market, I took the car to a local shop and got my old baby a new paint job. The new paint made all the difference with the car. While operationally it was sound, the outside was not all that great. After the fresh coat of paint, the car generated a lot of attention from prospective buyers. I even had a bidding war going on between two parties who really wanted it. If you have an older vehicle to sell, it pays to invest in a new paint job. Let me tell you more about why this strategy works. Follow my tips for selecting the color and the paint type, and you'll get a great price for the old jalopy.

Selling Your Older Car: Why a New Paint Job Matters

New Commercial Flatbed Truck Owners: Get Your Small Fleet Ready For The Road

Nora Boyd

If you recently purchased your first small fleet of heavy commercial flatbed trucks for your transport business, it's essential that you inspect and repair the vehicles before you allow your drivers to take them out on the road. An accident involving one of your trucks can be legally and financially catastrophic if its cargo breaks loose from the flatbed and harms other drivers on the road. In order to protect your business, drivers, and the public, make the necessary heavy equipment diagnostic checks and auto body repairs to your trucks and their flatbeds as soon as possible. Here's why you need to inspect and repair your flatbeds and what you can do to fix any problems found with them.

Why Should You Inspect and Repair Your Trucks Now?

While it might not seem cost-effective or necessary to inspect your trucks for problems right now, it may be one of the best ways to save you money and stress in the future. Because of their large sizes, it may be difficult to locate damages in your trucks' frames and flatbeds without the proper diagnostic checks. A diagnostic check of each vehicle gives you a chance to repair problems before they create hazardous conditions on the road.

If you plan to use your trucks to transport weights up to 2000 tons, you want to ensure that they don't have any type of damage in their frames. Although truck frames and their rails are built to haul, hold, and carry heavy loads, they can eventually experience problems over time. Some truck frames may fail if they experience too much stress. The heavy weight may damage the frames until they become too weak to support or carry items properly.

If your flatbed trucks have frame problems and they encounter dangerous situations during transport, the drivers may have issues slowing down or moving their vehicles out of the way to avoid a collision. Most commercial trucks require sufficient space to slow down or brake properly. If the damaged frame of one of your flatbeds cracks or breaks loose from the cab, it might flip over and injure other drivers.

To avoid creating problems that may harm your drivers and other people, have your trucks inspected.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Drivers and Vehicles?

One of the things you can do to keep your flatbeds safe and correct issues is have them inspected by a heavy equipment repair contractor from a company like Florida TRUCK & Trailer CO. A contractor will generally examine the frames, rails and axles for warped metal, missing pieces, loose bolts, and cracks. The repair techniques used on your vehicles may depend on the recommendations and requirements of their manufacturer. A contractor will discuss how they plan to address your flatbed truck frames during the inspection. 

After you have your flatbed trucks repaired, be sure to schedule regular maintenance for them. The Department of Transportation, or DOT, requires commercial truck drivers and companies to inspect their vehicles once a year, especially if the trucks weigh over 10,000 pounds. Keep all inspection checklists and compliance documents in your office or in another safe place, such as in a trucking compliance and management program. 

You should also ensure that your drivers report problems with their flatbeds to you immediately to avoid issues later on. You may want to have your drivers perform small preliminary inspections on their trucks as a precaution. If problems do arise with your trucks, you can schedule heavy equipment repair services right away.

For more information about inspecting and repairing your small flatbed fleet, or if you would like to schedule services now, contact a heavy equipment contractor today.


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