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Walked through a fleet yard in Tulsa and counted 11 trucks with zip-tied air lines
Was out at a buddy's lot last Friday helping him look at a used Freightliner he was thinking about buying for his side gig. We walked the whole yard and I started counting zip ties holding air lines together on parked units. Got to 11 before I stopped. One truck had a line rubbed almost through where it crossed a bracket, and somebody just wrapped it with electrical tape and a tie. That's not a fix, that's a time bomb. I get that shops charge an arm and a leg for re-routing and the parts are stupid expensive now, but we're talking about brakes here. Has anyone else noticed this getting worse with all the used trucks coming off lease? The DOT fine is nothing compared to what happens when that line lets go at speed.
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nathankim1mo ago
That line about "that's not a fix, that's a time bomb" is spot on. First thing I do on any used truck is crawl under with a flashlight and follow every air line hand over hand, looking for chafe marks and tie wraps. If the seller won't let me pull the wheels or at least put it on a lift, I walk. A new air line and a proper bracket is maybe 60 bucks and an afternoon, way cheaper than a runaway truck on a downhill grade. Check the dates on the air tanks while you're under there too, most guys never look.
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