Are you aware of the hidden menace that is attacking the inside and outside of your buses and fleet vehicles? The “salt age” is dawning in North America, and road salts are creating an epidemic corrosion problem for America’s transit systems. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration released a two-year study on the direct costs of metallic corrosion, “Corrosion Cost and Preventive Strategies in the United States.” This study estimated that $6.45 billion is spent on corrosion-related repairs and maintenance in the transportation industry. As an industry, suppliers and transit systems are trying a number of approaches to address corrosion-related problems. One method to control corrosion caused by road salts is to integrate the proper wash systems and detergent technology into routine cleaning of buses.

For several years now, transportation-related industries have been concerned about the corrosive effects of road salt. The American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) has established a Corrosion Action Control Committee to investigate and propose solutions for corrosion-related problems. During the TMC Fall Conference, a number of speakers spoke about the extent of the corrosion problem in the trucking industry. The magnitude of corrosion-related problems is astounding. Corrosive road salts attack a variety of metal components to include frame rails, crossmembers, suspension components, air tanks, fuel tanks, battery boxes, brackets, brake shoes, electrical systems, air-conditioning condensers, radiators, metal coolant tubing and steel wheels. It stands to reason that road salt corrosion is a problem for all vehicles that share the road.