Now that Spring has sprung, road deicing chemicals are far less prevalent on the highway, but fleets with lanes that routinely trek through the coldest parts of the U.S. could still be dragging those chemicals around on the truck chassis.
Road salts and deicers are designed to keep roads passable in harsh winter conditions, but left untended the chemical formulas that eat away at snow and ice will do the same thing to truck chassis, metal components and wiring.
Hub Group Executive Vice President of Maintenance and Equipment Gerry Mead said fleet truck wash programs are often the first things eliminated during cost-cutting exercises, but PPG Commercial Transit Brand Manager Scott Colvin said one of the best corrosion inhibitors is simply keeping the truck clean.
However, it’s not as simple as hosing off the rig.
Jack Lennon, vice president of Blue Beacon Truck Wash operations, said just washing the truck’s exterior won’t remove corrosive chemicals and road salts stuck in the truck’s frame, junction boxes, couplers and other hard-to-reach areas.
“Just rinsing with cold water is unlikely to achieve actually removing the road chemical,” he said. “A combination of detergents and hot water is really what is needed.”
Hot water, Lennon said, better dissolves contaminants and surface salts than cold water.
