If you own a truck or a fleet, you would be aware of the significance of power performance in your truck and maintaining safety at the same time.
Driving conditions on the road have become bleak and mercurial, because of which you wish to squeeze out that extra juice from your truck while still ensuring the well-being of your fleet vehicle and the driver.
That extra bit of horsepower can help you deliver shipments on time, steer effortlessly on bumpy roads, and traverse risky terrain with ease.
In case your truck meets with an accident, the first thing you would need to be wary of is to have state-of-the-art safety features enabled to safeguard your vehicle as well as the driver.
There are special rules enforced particularly for trucks and if you have been charged for violating it, you might need to look for a knowledgeable truck accident lawyer.
Performance And Safety Upgrades
Here are nine upgrades that you as a fleet owner must consider equipping your trucks with to adapt to the volatility of roads across cities and ensure the safety of your driver –
Upgrades To Improve Efficiency
1. Aftermarket Exhaust
Aftermarket exhaust systems can be an efficient and easy way to boost horsepower in your truck. Companies design stock mufflers to reduce noise emission as-well-as increase performance.
If you replace your factory muffler with a decent aftermarket exhaust, such as a tuned cat-back exhaust, not only would you hear the difference, but you would also feel a whopping 20 horsepower increase as per the size of your truck engine.
If you replace the stock exhaust manifold with a series of aftermarket headers, you will take your horsepower to a whole another level.
2. Engine Tuners
Engine tuners that include chips, modules, or programmers can help to enhance the performance of your truck.
Some manufacturers claim that their tuners can boost up to five miles per gallon; however, the efficiency relies on how you drive and where you drive.
If towing is your forte, or traversing long distances or climbing hilly topography, an engine tuner is just what you need.
Tuners allow you to customize your truck, be it racing, off-roading, or towing. Each tuner will allow for slightly better performance, better efficiency, and a higher fuel economy.
3. Superchargers And Turbochargers
Both superchargers and turbochargers throttle-up power; however, you must understand their primary differences to realize which one to install.
Superchargers and turbochargers compress the air flowing into the engine to provide a considerable amount of boost.
Turbochargers have smog altering equipment installed that lower carbon emissions on your truck. They are fuel-efficient, as they use waste heat from the exhaust to boost the air intake pressure.
4. Cold-Air Intake
Replacing the cold-air intake might not provide you with a power boost; however, it will boost the efficiency of your truck.
A cold-air intake sucks in the warm air from outside of the engine compartment, chills it down, and sucks it back into the engine for combustion.
Cooler air is denser, implying that there is a higher amount of oxygen per given volume of air. High oxygen means more fuel combustion, leading to more power and a lot more efficiency.
Upgrades To Provide Safety
5. Use Vehicle Telematics
Telematics and real-time data can help promote safety processes and the performance of truck drivers and their vehicles.
Such data can provide drivers and fleet companies with valuable insights about the safety of their trucks, such as preventative maintenance issues.
It is also reliable for programming the finest and most efficient route for drivers to traverse to save time and reduce driving hours.
Vehicle telematics these days come with a GPS tracking software as well that can provide you real-time location on your fleet and access to data that points out when and where the driver made stops along the way.
Telematics also notify you in case of an accident or any mishappenings in real-time. If your truck gets stolen, the GPS equipped can help you track it down.
Samsara is the leader in industrial IoT and can be used as a telematics provider to gain desirable results when tracking your fleet.
To know more about the perks they offer as a fleet telematics provider, visit their website.
6. Anti-Theft Alarms
A GPS software might help you track down your fleet vehicle; however, it would be best if you could avoid the theft in the first place by installing your truck with an anti-theft alarm.
Equipping your truck with a security alarm can turn off the ignition, making it impossible for the thief to start it, thereby avoiding any chances of truck theft.
An audible security alarm is a smart way to safeguard your truck. With a loud siren, the audible security alarm is capable of warning people within a 5-block radius.
7. Automatic Driver Recognition System
Even though having a theft alarm is an excellent way to protect your truck and alert people around your vehicle, you can be extra cautious with the recognition system if your keys get lost or get stolen.
The recognition system would only start the truck when it recognizes the driver. There exist some software that work by checking the DNA of the driver, whereas others identify their fingerprints.
8. Cabin Camera
Installing a cabin camera is one of the oldest and the best ways to prevent theft. The camera records everything happening in the truck cabin.
With this option, you can identify faces and see who has been inside the truck. This camera would also give insights about the behavioral patterns of a driver and their handling of the vehicle.
Modern-day dash cams have a dedicated parking mode that turns on if anyone hits your car while it is parked. Also, copious dash cams come equipped with GPS, so that you can track your vehicle with ease.
Samsara offers the best dash cams to install in your truck if you wish to receive Ultra HD recordings and the features mentioned above.
9. Radio Homing Device
There might arise a case where having a GPS installed might not be enough. There are some locations on the map that the GPS does not include.
Having a radio homing device can assist the police while tracking the truck no matter its location. The Vehicle Identification Number is employed to locate the vehicle.
A radio homing device transmits a radio signal that is picked up by radio direction-finding systems on vehicles to extrapolate the direction to the beacon with precision.
Final Words
With modern roads being more prone to accidents, and delivery deadlines getting harsh, you need to update your truck line-up by adding the upgrades mentioned above.
You must remember to balance out performance and safety features in your truck to receive optimum results.
While choosing a telematics provider, make sure that it suits your needs and is adequate for your fleet size.
Also read: new RAM truck for sale chicago
