Preventive maintenance helps stop rust due to road salt

From Transport Topics.

Winter weather brings one of the trucking industry’s greatest simultaneous friends and foes: road salt.

Salt prevents and melts ice, making road surfaces safer for travel, but it also significantly speeds corrosion of a truck. If left unchecked, corrosion can create dangerous conditions within key truck components, such as the electrical system. But preventive maintenance can help stop rust before it becomes unwieldy and eats away components past the point of repair.

The electrical system and the batteries are the “heart” of modern trucks, and therefore require special attention, said Brett Wacker, vice president of maintenance for Dart Transit.

Corrosion can occur on electrical components themselves, on wiring or at connections. That can lead to a plethora of faults including with door locks, windows and wiper blades.

Even greater concern lies with high-risk safety failures such as headlights or anti-lock braking systems.

“Because of how sophisticated our trucks are, everything goes haywire” once portions of the electrical system corrode, Wacker said.

Overall, corrosion consistently ranks as a top fleet concern — both from safety and financial perspectives.

See full article from Transport Topics online.