Fleet image management may be on the bottom of your trucking company’s priority list. You have shipments to secure, delivery deadlines to meet, and unnecessary lagtimes to eliminate. Who cares what a truck looks like as long as it gets the shipments where they need to go on time? Perhaps the dirt and grime clinging to your trucks are doing far worse damage than you think. 

Your trucking company’s greatest enemy is corrosion. Metal corrodes when it reacts with another substance such as oxygen, hydrogen, an electrical current or even dirt and bacteria. This causes the material to break down, which is bad news for your trucking fleet. Investing in professional cleaning solutions is key to corrosion prevention.

Rust 

One of the most infamous types of corrosion is rust. Rust is caused when oxidation leads to the electrochemical breakdown of iron-based metals. This breakdown develops iron oxide, more commonly known as rust. 

While rust can plague your fleet with unattractive orangey-brown, flakey spots, it also dissolves the metal. This can threaten the truck driver’s safety and shorten the vehicle’s lifespan.

What causes rust and corrosion?

While storing your vehicle properly can help prevent metal corrosion, your logistics company quite literally runs on wheels, meaning your trucks are going to be exposed to environmental elements that will put them at risk for rusting and other destructive corrosion. 

Here are some of the most common causes of rust and corrosion:

Water

The oxygen in water molecules combines with iron to form iron oxide, making it one of the leading culprits in rust formation. Driving in rainy, icy or snowy conditions and splashing through puddles expose both the surface and undercarriage of your trucks to large quantities of moisture that can cause severe damage if left unattended. 

Vehicles that are stored outside or in humid indoor environments are even more likely to be exposed to water. 

Salt

Salt is one of the main causes of rust. During the winter, road salt is spread on roadways to lower the freezing point of water so that streets don’t become too slick. While this is great for ensuring safe traveling conditions, road salt combined with water creates a rusty recipe for disaster. While salt is certainly an issue in colder climates, the salt elements in sand in more coastal regions can also creep onto roadways and cause problems for your trucking fleet if left untreated. 

Dirt

Soil and dirt act like a sponge and can retain moisture, which can accelerate rusting. 

This not only has the potential to ruin the truck’s paint job, but because rust has a tendency to spread, it can also corrode other parts of the vehicle, leading to even more expensive, and potentially irreversible, damage.

Insect Debris

Having a windshield smeared with “bug guts” is annoying enough, but what happens when these unfortunate pests meet their doom on the painted areas of your truck? 

Some insect species, such as June bugs, excrete liquids that are extremely acidic. Vehicles are usually coated with thin layers of paint, so it doesn’t take much for acidic substances to begin to eat away at them. Leaving insect debris cemented to your truck is not only gross, but can ruin a paint job. This exposes the metal, making it more likely to just.

Bird Droppings

Like insect debris, bird droppings have acidic qualities. Some birds swallow gravel to help them digest food. These tiny bits of rock can scrape the painted surface when wiped away, making the metal more susceptible to rusting.

Rust Prevention

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to prevent your trucking fleet from falling victim to rust’s destruction. Washing your trucking fleet thoroughly and regularly can prevent pollutants from causing bigger problems down the line. 

But running a Toyota Corolla through a car wash is one thing. Properly cleaning and sanitizing a large semi truck is much more complicated. Regular washings can cut down on corrosion-related maintenance costs and extend the life of your vehicle. However, paying a third party to clean your trucks can be extremely expensive, and requiring your employees to clean their vehicles wastes valuable transportation time and money, especially if they work on hourly pay. 

Whiting Systems, Inc. manufactures our automated truck wash systems in-house. We then oversee setup at your location. Owning your own truck wash systems offers an undeniable return on investment. Freeing your vehicle of corrosion and rust-causing debris gives your vehicles a chance at a longer life. 

Both potential and current customers, as well as driver recruits tend to trust companies that have clean fleets. An automated truck wash system is also much more efficient, helping your company to cut down on unnecessary lag times and inspections.

Whiting Systems specializes in advanced semi truck fleet wash equipment. Your truck fleet, specialized equipment, or standard-sized vehicles can always benefit from a good cleaning, not just for appearances, but as a means to protect your investments.

Whiting Systems combines powerful automatic truck cleaning equipment with detergents that leave your fleet clean. We use the finest materials to ensure long system life and maximum cleaning performance.

SmartWash® Supra Truck Wash System

The SmartWash® Supra is a truck wash that is used for washing trucks, coaches, oil field mining trucks, vans and other large vehicles. It is available as a 2 or 3 brush automatic rollover hybrid wash. It is the ultimate in design and construction and combines the adaptability of touchless, high-pressure washing for irregular size vehicles and the economical three brush roll-over truck wash. 

Utilizing current sensing electronics, our systems “feel” the vehicle and adjust according to contours, mirrors, visors, etc. SmartWash® stainless steel frames remain intact when other machines have rusted away. 

Strategically placed sensors throughout each system ensure that the power sprayers and rotating brushes can safely and fully wash your trucks and trailers.

SmartWash® Super Scout Gantry 2 or 3 Brush Rollover

Optimal for buses and coaches, The SmartWash® Super Scout is a versatile cleaning machine that removes grime and dirt build-up without any harm to your vehicle.

SmartWash® SCOUT 3 Brush Rollover

The SmartWash® SCOUT is a bus wash and coach fleet washing automatic rollover system. It provides comprehensive cleaning of all standard size vehicles including coaches, vans and trucks. This two or three brush Roll Over Gantry is available in both 12 and 14 foot maximum vehicle height models. 

The commercial sized Scout system is designed to thoroughly clean large-scale trucks, all the while sensing every curve in the body to ensure maximum vehicle safeguard. The strategic placement of sensors, pressure washing sprayers, and rotary brushes deliver incredible cleaning power to every single truck, every single wash, every single time.

SmartWash STORM Truck Wash System

The SmartWash STORM truck wash gives your vehicles a powerful, deep clean. Ideal for more compact fleets. Its touchless, automated cleaning technique will transform the way you do business.

SmartWash® Sprite Drive Through Truck Wash

As its name implies, the SmartWash® Sprite Drive Through truck wash is the ultimate cleaning machine for any type of fleet. As an automated system with sensors, it will clean even the most complex structures, such as trains.

Whiting Systems delivers outstanding truck and train washing solutions no matter your fleet size. Our automatic washing systems are built of the highest quality materials and we use only the finest cleaning detergents. Each Sprite contains sensors that follow the shape of the vehicle so that the water jet sprayers and optional rotary brushes completely and safely remove all dirt and grime leaving a bright, clean finish.

Conclusion

Over time, things like dirt, environmental pollutants, tree sap, dead insects, bird droppings, and road salt can wreak havoc on the protective coating, paint, and metalwork of your vehicles. This can lead to expensive paint damage and rust. 

 From large semis to luxury coaches and trains, if you have a fleet that needs to be cleaned, Whiting Systems offers effective solutions for you. With a teeming variety of powerful detergents and exceptional fleet washing stations, you’ll soon see why so many choose Whiting Systems, Inc. for their fleet cleaning needs.

Contact us today for more information!