Road Trips Are Hard on Trucks — Prepare Accordingly

A long road trip is one of the most demanding things you can put your truck through. Hours of sustained highway driving, heavy gear loads, mountain terrain, and the extremes of the Canadian climate all stress systems that might be holding on fine for short daily commutes. The worst place to discover a problem is 600 km from home. Here are four expert tips from Apex Auto Spare Parts to prepare your truck properly.

Tip 1: Do a Full Under-Hood Fluid Check — All of Them

Most drivers only check engine oil and ignore the rest. Before any long trip, check all of these:

• Engine oil — level and colour (black and gritty = change before the trip)
• Coolant/antifreeze — level and freeze point, especially for mountain driving
• Brake fluid — should be at MAX; dark brown fluid absorbs moisture and should be flushed if over 2–3 years old
• Power steering fluid — especially important if towing
• Windshield washer fluid — you’ll use far more on a highway trip; fill completely and pack a spare jug
• Transmission fluid — have your dealer check this if your truck has no dipstick

Tip 2: Inspect Your Tires Thoroughly

Tires are your only contact point with the road, yet many drivers only check them when one goes flat:

• Tire pressure — check cold, before driving, against your door sticker spec
• Tread depth — insert a Canadian quarter nose-first into the tread; if you can see above the nose, tread is below safe levels
• Sidewalls — look for bulges, cracks, or cuts; a sidewall bulge must be replaced before driving
• Spare tire — check it’s inflated; nothing worse than a flat with a flat spare
• Lug nut torque — especially if you’ve had recent tire work done

Tip 3: Inspect Your Brakes Before a Long Drive

Normal daily driving rarely tests brakes severely. A mountain road descent or hours of trailer braking on the Trans-Canada is another matter entirely:

• Check brake pad thickness through the wheel spokes — less than 4mm means replace before the trip
• Listen for squealing on your next few stops — that’s the wear indicator
• Check brake disc condition — grooves, pitting, or vibration under braking need attention before a long haul
• Brake fluid level — top up if needed

Brake fade — where repeated hard stops overheat the system and temporarily reduce braking power — is a real risk on mountain descents. Starting a descent with marginal brakes is dangerous.

Tip 4: Check Lights, Battery, Belts, and Hoses

Lights: Walk around and verify headlights (low and high beam), tail lights, brake lights, reverse lights, indicators, and hazard lights all function.

Battery: A battery over 4–5 years old should be load-tested at any auto parts store (usually free). Check terminals for corrosion. A battery that starts fine in summer may fail on the first cold night of your trip.

Serpentine belt: Check for cracks, fraying, or glazing. A broken belt disables the alternator, power steering, and sometimes the water pump simultaneously on the side of the highway.

Coolant hoses: Squeeze with the engine cold — they should feel firm and springy, not soft/mushy or hard/brittle.

Don’t Forget Your Truck’s Body Condition

If you’re loading gear, tools, or camping equipment — make sure your truck bed, tailgate, and bed rails are in good enough condition to secure your load. A damaged tailgate latch that lets the gate drop at highway speed is a genuine hazard to other drivers. If your bed, tailgate, doors, or bumpers need replacing before your trip, Apex Auto Spare Parts has a huge inventory of rust-free truck parts ready to ship anywhere in Canada. Call +1 (512) 236-5489 — we typically ship within 1–3 business days.