​Here at West Tech Mobile, we get asked a lot of questions about the vehicles we work on – everything from heavy industrial rigs to semi trucks and tractor-trailers. And we’re always more than happy to answer them! Since they are the most common, we decided to put our responses to some of Google's most frequently asked questions about semis all here in one place, for easy reference. Read on if you’ve been wondering these for yourself.

Mostly, it comes down to horsepower, as diesel engines create more horsepower than gasoline ones. Also, in the past, diesel was cheaper than gas, so it became popular as a more cost-effective alternative. And one more big reason is that truck drivers, who are constantly guiding top-heavy vehicles – and large tanks full of fuel – know that in the event of a rollover, diesel isn’t nearly as combustible as gasoline. If you’re always hauling large volumes of it in a tank underneath you, that makes a big difference.

 A Webasto Thermo Top C is a high-tech (and highly welcomed) engine warmer that fits into your fuel line and keeps your engine from freezing up – all without having to idle the engine itself. As with any technology, it’s amazing when it works, but there are a lot of components and sometimes they fail for what seems like no reason.
 
While doing all of the heavy truck repair we do here at WTM, we see a lot of these Webastos, and some of the reasons for failure are far more common than others. Here are the top three that we see again and again in the course of our work.

If science fiction shows and movies from decades ago were to be believed, by 2020 we’d all have jetpacks, butler robots, and autonomous cars that flew us from place to place. And, while many of those wilder fantasies are still just that, the world is getting closer to futuristic vehicle technology that looks like it’s part of a sci-fi novel of its own.

A big player on this stage is the company Tesla, run by eccentric billionaire (and previous driver of the first car in space) Elon Musk. While their electric cars, like the Tesla 2 and 3, have been around for years, the company made waves in November when they announced the forthcoming release of their pickup, the blocky-looking Cybertruck. But a lot of people don’t realize that years before that, Tesla was in the news for a different truck on their list, which is due to arrive by the end of this year. Have you ever heard of the Tesla Semi?

Over the last few years, a new craze has popped up in cities all over North America – the food truck. Once just a hallmark of places like New York and Los Angeles, the food truck phenomenon has now spread to every corner of the continent, including right here in Calgary.
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Food trucks are the ultimate win for a sole proprietor that loves the business: portable, efficient, and on a small scale, they can quickly be moved to a new location as needed. But what happens when the “truck” part of the business starts to show more than the “food” side?

In the modern age of tight deadlines and high efficiency, it isn’t always easy to take time out of your schedule to keep up with the maintenance on your heavy equipment – even if you know that preventative maintenance is an excellent way to extend the life of everything from your engine to your axles. Aside from being needed on the job site, your trucks and other machines can also be inconvenient or too large to move easily. As a result, if they get pushed too hard for too long, they may stop working altogether and break down on site or become unsafe to operate on highways or city streets. It’s costly to tow, and to spend weeks waiting for repairs that cost valuable productivity. What can be done to prevent this?

There’s a misconception that being a trucker is easy – that you just get comfy and drive around in the sunshine, with your favourite music playing and the wide open road ahead. And while it has moments like that, it’s still a job. A job that’s done in all conditions, rain or shine, with long stretches away from home and your family. A job with rules, laws, safety protocols, and plenty of paperwork that follows you everywhere you go.
 
Government regulation of the trucking industry varies across provinces and states, with some being stricter than others on things like maintenance, scheduling, and emission standards. California is well known for being among the strictest places in North America when it comes to these laws, and has been for many years.

Looking for winter driving safety tips? This page explains the role of traction control, shock absorbers, anti-lock brakes, and maintenance for better winter driving.

As a city in southern Alberta – a region known for its snowstorms and winter cold – there’s bound to be days in Calgary where you find yourself on a snow-covered Deerfoot Trail or a dark and icy 16 Ave at rush hour. However, modern vehicles have all kinds of winter driving equipment and safety systems built in to help you keep control on slick surfaces. If you keep them well maintained and ready, you can help keep yourself safe, no matter the winter driving conditions.