Interior Corrosion – Public Enemy Number One to Semi-Truck Cabs

Interior Corrosion – Public Enemy Number One to Semi-Truck Cabs

Sponsored by Premier Manufacturing Co.

In-cab corrosion is a big deal in the heavy-duty trucking industry, costing fleets five-to-six figures annually.

Every fleet manager in the business would love to eliminate in-cab corrosion, but how?

Chemicals are introduced to the cab by a driver’s boots, and drivers are in and out of the truck numerous times a day.  The salt and grime brought into the cab on a driver’s boots are the number one source for interior cab corrosion. It’s a seemingly impossible fight.

In the winter, snow and ice team up with the deicing chemicals used on roadways to wreak havoc on a cab’s interior.  The problem is made worse because of the hygroscopic nature of the chemicals.

Hygroscopic material continues to draw moisture from the air, even in seemingly dry environments. 

As the driver’s boots dry out, the deicing chemicals’ remnants get sucked into the HVAC system are recirculated throughout the cab.

The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has had many discussions regarding in-cab corrosion. Their task force on the subject has discovered that many rolled up cab rugs on two to three-year-old trucks had been nearly eaten away by corrosion. 

However, the floor itself isn’t the only thing impacted by corrosion.  Seat belt mounts and retractors are also vulnerable, but perhaps more importantly, the damage to electrical wiring and connectors can be devastating, not to mention costly.

During a 2016 TMC task force meeting, one attendee said that corrosion had destroyed a four-thousand-dollar sensor within six months.  The task force’s advice was to inspect all sealed connectors because once moisture gets in the cab, it gets in the wires.

Most highway departments now use chloride-based deicers, such as calcium chloride or magnesium chloride. While these compounds do an excellent job of keeping roads clear during inclement weather, they also pose a significant risk to commercial vehicles.

Several fleets say that it costs them between eight hundred and fifteen hundred dollars every time a driver leaves because that’s the cost to either replace or clean the cab floor.  And the chemicals that impact that floor are a deterrent to attracting and retaining drivers.

One of the best ways to prevent in-cab corrosion are tray-style floor mats, which have a raised edge all around the mat, keeping the deicing chemicals–along with any spills or messes­­–on the mat and off the floor.

These types of floor mats can be cleaned in seconds, eliminating the need to remove the driver’s seat to get to the carpet, so you can then remove the carpet and steam-clean it. 

That’s an all-day job with enormous shop rates, whereas these tray-style mats can be pulled out with ease and cleaned in a matter of minutes.

They also do a great job of keeping the cab and its native floor looking brand new, so any driver will be impressed with his new rig when he steps inside.

In-cab corrosion is a formidable opponent, but there are some solutions out there that can help you beat one of the costliest issues in trucking today.

You May Also Like

The Commercial Fleet Safety Tech Evolution: Don’t Get Left Behind

In a world where technology is rapidly evolving, it’s no surprise that the Commercial Fleet Industry is rethinking its safety features for the future.  But as with all good things, the process is slow and as steady as the turtle who wins the race. As much as manufacturers might begin to improve fleet vehicle safety

In a world where technology is rapidly evolving, it's no surprise that the Commercial Fleet Industry is rethinking its safety features for the future. 

But as with all good things, the process is slow and as steady as the turtle who wins the race. As much as manufacturers might begin to improve fleet vehicle safety technology, there are impactful logistics to keep in mind and plenty of concerns when making changes to a fleet, usually due to time, cost, and even resistance to the unfamiliar.

Diesel engine filtration tips for better fuel efficiency

Wix Filters’s tips for achieving the right balance of engine protection and efficiency.

Three heavy-duty trucking aftermarket trends and what they means to you

Hendrickson aftermarket support helps keep fleets rolling productively.

Commercial Fleet Industry: Past, Present, and Yet to Come

In the past, safety solutions were often viewed as an unnecessary luxury in the commercial fleet industry. “Don’t have it; don’t need it” was a common phrase and is still one that many owners and manufacturers might say today. There was no rush to install a high-end safety system when the mirrors and reverse alerts

Finding a one-stop shop for diesel engine filters

It’s amazing how challenging it can be to find the right part, even something as seemingly simple as a diesel engine filter. After all, a filter is a filter, right? “Not all filters are created equal,” noted David Studley, lube and oil filter product manager, Fleetguard, who went on to explain that it would be

Fleetguard-Detroit-Filtration-32D-600

Other Posts

What you need to know about wheel seals with RevHD

Brian Beathard, vice president, sales and marketing, RevHD stopped by the Babcox Media studio to talk about the importance of wheel seals. In addition to providing top wheel seal spec’ing tips, Beathard talked about the RevHD Rev Max wheel seal orange top plate, which the company says allows customers to see in an instant whether the

Rev-Max-Angled-1400
Optimized: Know How to Plan When You Know What Parts Will Sell

The parts department is a busy, even chaotic place. There is never a shortage of things to worry about or issues to monitor. You got parts sales, team performance, deciding whether or not to eat your lunch while standing at your desk because, as you know, the parts business doesn’t take lunch breaks.  Speaking of

Brake pads you can be grateful for

As we make our way into the season of thanks and gratitude, we find ourselves appreciating the things that may frequently go unnoticed in day to day life. If you flip a lightswitch, the bulb comes on. And when you turn on the faucet, clean water flows from the tap. If you hit your brakes,

NRS-Brakes-new-skus
Less weight, more strength: How composite spring suspensions apply both benefits

Stronger. Lighter. It’s the dichotomy that nearly all fleets chase when it comes to spec’ing new equipment. This lean, mean spec’ing strategy can boost efficiency and provide equipment longevity. When you think about suspensions for demanding applications, tried-and-true steel spring suspensions spring to mind. (Pun intended.) But what if there was another way–a suspension that

Hendrickson-Trailer-Composite-Suspension-1400