For a haulier in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, a service is a day off the road that you choose, rather than one the vehicle chooses for you on the A42. Our workshop is at Calke Mill Farm on Ashby Road, Melbourne, which sits within 10 miles of the town, and it takes planned work Monday to Friday between 07:30 and 17:00. Book the slot, bring the vehicle in, and it goes back to work serviced, with anything worrying written down for you.
Mileage that wears in different ways
Vehicles kept around Ashby can live very different lives. Some join the A42 at the edge of town and spend the day on fast roads, south-west to the M42 or north-east to the M1 at junction 23A. Others shuttle along the mostly single-carriageway A511 between Coalville and Burton upon Trent, or make short runs into the town and out to the villages.
Every plan begins with the manufacturer's schedule, by distance, hours or time. After that, how the vehicle earns its money matters more than the calendar. Steady dual-carriageway running is gentle on brakes, clutches and filters; stop-start work, heavy loads and long idling at loading bays use them up faster. We set intervals around the job the vehicle really does, and if a visit shows wear running ahead of plan, we tell you and suggest moving the next one forward.
What a service covers
The work follows the manufacturer's list for that vehicle: engine oil, filters and fluids, belts, hoses and the cooling system, brakes and the air system, steering, suspension and wheels, lights, wiring and charging, and the clutch and gearbox. Anything that isn't urgent comes back as an advisory with a plain view of how long it can safely wait, so you can plan it into a later slot rather than meeting it at the roadside.
If a PMI safety inspection falls near the service date, we put the two together so the vehicle is serviced, inspected and signed off in one visit instead of two. For an operator running a handful of trucks, that second day saved is a real gain. Coaches, minibuses and specialist vehicles, including emergency-service vehicles, come through the same workshop on the same footing.
Winter finds weak batteries, tired starter motors and fuel problems; summer finds cooling systems. A service in the autumn is the moment to test batteries and charging, and one in spring the moment to look hard at coolant and hoses.
Ring 01332 916028 to book, with the registration, the current mileage or hours and the date the service is due. If a driver reports warning lights, a change in the brakes or fluids dropping before then, don't wait for the slot; call us straight away.
