Field Notes
Notes from the yard
Practical writing on inspection, compliance, and commercial vehicles. Written between site visits, edited at the kitchen table.
The DOT Inspection Checklist We Actually Use in the Yard
Forget the glossy PDFs. Here is the dog-eared checklist Alejandro carries on his clipboard every morning — written for California operators, the way a roadside inspector reads a vehicle.
May 18, 2026 · 9 min read · By Alejandro Murillo
Five Pre-Auction Mistakes That Cost Dealers Real Money
After eleven years walking the lanes at Manheim and ADESA on behalf of Central Valley dealers, the same five mistakes keep showing up. Here is what they look like and what they cost.
April 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Winter Fleet Prep for Foggy Highway 99 Runs
Tule fog kills more Central Valley drivers than ice ever will. Here is what we check on every fleet vehicle between October 15 and December 1.
March 11, 2026 · 6 min read
How We Cut a Lodi Logistics Fleet's Downtime by 38%
A regional carrier with 32 tractors went from 11.2 days of unplanned downtime per truck per year to 6.6 in one quarter. Nothing clever. Just consistent.
February 8, 2026 · 8 min read
CARB, Off-Road Diesel, and What Galt Growers Need to Know in 2026
Plain-English answers to the questions Sacramento County farmers and ranchers keep asking us this season — including the ones with no good answer.
January 22, 2026 · 10 min read
What to Look For When Buying a Used Box Truck Under $25k
For independent operators and small businesses shopping the budget end of the box-truck market, here are the seven things we always check before money changes hands.
December 14, 2025 · 7 min read
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