How do you maintain your personal vehicle at the terminal while OTR?

by Jim
(NY)

I live in a cold climate in the northeast. During the cold months you need to start/run your car at least once per day as temps dip below zero. What happens my car is sitting at the terminal for 6 weeks while I am OTR? Would I need to bring a portable jump starter for it? Thanks.

Comments for How do you maintain your personal vehicle at the terminal while OTR?

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Jan 16, 2016
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I leave the keys in a hidden place...
by: Anonymous

... and every once in awhile I'll have a friend start it up and check everything

It could be another driver, my boss, a dispatcher...

dont matter, as long as you trust them and can call them "friend"

Jan 16, 2016
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It is not necessary to start the car every day while you are gone
by: Hervy

I definitely would like to have started my car the way you described in the winter. However, like many other truck drivers, I had no way of being able to do that while being OTR.

You don't HAVE to start your car every day in the winter. If your car is in good shape with a strong battery, it should start fine when you get back. Also, you could disconnect the cable from the battery so that there is no drain while you are gone.

If you are parked on a dusty lot, you could also get a good quality car cover.

Plus I would add Slick 50 or a similar product to the oil before leaving so that the piston walls are coated well(if it works as proposed) so that when you do try to start after weeks of oil draining down to the crankcase there is some lubrication there during cranking.

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