Weather forecasters are predicting not only one of the coldest, but the snowiest winters in the last five years. Here are a few simple tips to help maintain your equipment and fuel tanks.

Block heaters are not designed to warm an engine. They are designed to maintain the heat already generated in the engine. Thus it is crucial that the truck be plugged in while the engine is still warm. And don't forget to UNPLUG the truck before starting it. Two to three seconds of the engine running while the block heaters are plugged in is enough to burn out the block heaters.

Do not idle your truck. You will do more to COOL the engine by idling a truck coming off the road vs. shutting it off. (Engine temperature rises approx. 18 degrees when it is shut off.) Conversely, starting a cold truck and letting it idle is futile. If you need to warm a truck thats been sitting, get in it and drive it around the yard and exercise the truck once it has reached maximum oil-pressure. This will warm the engine, transmission, differential and suspension. Not to mention prevent running the risk of potential fines for idling for both the driver and the organization.

Remember to drain air-tanks and fuel water separators. As the ambient air temperatures fall, the ability for water to condense in fuel tanks increases and can be carried into the filter/heater unit. During periods of extreme cold this should be done on a daily basis. The fuel filters are the only protection the engine has against contaminants in the fuel. A larger micron fuel filter should never be used to extend filter life or increase flow. It may void the warranty and can be damaging to the pump and/or the injectors.

Be sure air hoses are hooked up to each other or to the dummy gladhands when the equipment is not in use. This is one of the leading causes of brakes freezing up.

If moisture is present in an air line, use one cap full of brake line anti-freeze in the EMERGENCY (red) side ONLY. Never put it in the blue side or you may cause the brakes to lock up. Use only company supplied brake line anti-freeze, as there are many products out there that will cause damage to the internal brake system.

Be sure gladhands hook up tight. If they go on loose they will come off in a tight turn and will cause unnecessary cycling of the air compressor. Make sure you have a nice and snug fit.

When fueling on the road, check at truckstops to make sure pump filters have been changed. Look for hydrosorb filters; these will remove water from the fuel before it gets in your tanks and forms ice or gelling.

These few tips can make the difference between go or no go situation, making that delivery commitment, or completing a run vs. a breakdown. Breakdowns during inclement weather are extremely dangerous.

Glen Sokolis heads up Sokolis Group, which offers fuel purchasing, management and consulting services. www.sokolisgroup.com.