Effects of Corrosion on Your Commercial Fleet

Keeping commercial trucking fleets corrosion-free can be a challenge for fleet managers and their drivers. With various factors causing corrosion in components such as commercial tires and electrical equipment, commercial fleets need to exercise caution when frequently driving in corrosive conditions.

Causes of Corrosion in Commercial Tires

Corrosive environments might seem rare, but commercial trucks all over the United States suffer the damaging effects of corrosion. From coastal regions with salty moisture to harsh northeastern and midwestern winter climates requiring road chemicals, there’s a lot that can cause premature deterioration in your commercial trucking fleet:

• Moisture: One of the most common causes of corrosion, excess moisture — especially during colder months — can erode your trucks’ metal surfaces.
• Rain & Puddles: Similar to moisture, rainy conditions can cause water to splash up and rest on metal surfaces, and can even damage your wheel-ends.
• Rock Salt: While rock salt is great for improving safety conditions, failure to clean residue away can quickly corrode your metal surfaces and wheel-ends.
• Magnesium & Calcium Chlorides: Even more detrimental than rock salt are the effects of these road-clearing chemicals on trucks. More than just corroding wheel parts, magnesium has been reported to reduce brakes with a 60,000-mile life expectancy down to just 20,000 miles.

From commercial tires and metal surfaces down to your brakes, being aware of corrosive environments is important for ensuring safe driving on the road. Allowing corrosion to run rampant can have serious effects on your fleet — and your bottom line.

Effects of Corrosion on Commercial Tires

Beyond metal surfaces and wheel-ends, corrosion can wreak havoc on many additional truck components. The following are just some examples of the damage that can occur due to corrosion:

• Increased Friction: When excess moisture is present, it can wash away the lubricant that prevents increased friction from harming commercial tires and mechanical components.
• Metal Damage: More than just the metal surface of the truck itself, corrosion can effectively destroy wheel-ends and lead to breakdown of the wheels. Moreover, degradation of vital metal components, such as the fasteners of the inner hub, can result in catastrophic damage to your commercial tires.
• Unnecessary Breakdown: Corrosion can impact the underside components of your vehicle, creating a recipe for accidents to occur due to mechanical failure and resulting in unnecessary downtime.

When corrosion threatens the integrity of your vehicle, allowing it to go untreated can result in costly repairs or even the replacement of an entire truck. Avoiding these expenses is simple: Fleet managers need to employ an effective preventative maintenance plan to catch problems early.

Preventative Maintenance Helps Combat Corrosion

The best way for fleet managers to save money on costly repairs is by partnering with STTC. Our team provides a customized preventative maintenance plan that addresses the specific needs of your fleet. We’ll assess your vehicle for signs of corrosion, addressing any repair needs before they escalate any further. Contact us today to begin planning ahead and prevent corrosion in your commercial fleet!