Abstract
When setting fair and reasonable haul rates with contractors, it is important to accurately estimates all costs. Contractors must also know their costs so they can identify areas of improvement. FERIC addressed this issue through a tractor-trailer repair and maintenance study in the Maritimes designed to provide more reliable costing information. The project tracked the repair and maintenance costs of 20 self-loading rigs (B-trains and semi-trailers) and one B-train without a loader that traveled on highways and logging roads in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over a 2-year period. The results provided average costs for all repairs and maintenance, divided into the following categories: electrical, body and structural, maintenance, tires and rims, brakes and air system, suspension, engine and drive train, and hydraulics