3 Winter Truck Driving Tips: How to Protect your Rig from Salt and Grime
As it continues to snow this time of the year, we worry about our vehicles when we drive through salt and grime. Not only is driving in the snow treacherous, but the salt used to melt ice on the roads can do a number on your rig. The paint job can come off and it will cause your truck to rust. This is a pain to deal with, but something that can be preventative.
To ensure the salt and grime don't ruin your truck during these salty winter months, read these few easy steps.
1. Stay Clean
If you often drive in wintry conditions, a truck wash every one to two weeks can prevent salt from ruining the paint. You can hand wash or pressure wash your truck yourself, just like what you would do with your personal vehicle. If you are not feeling like washing it yourself, another option is to go through a truck wash. As long as you do one of these, the paint of your truck will never chip off!
Fun Fact: Make sure to rinse the wheels, its rims and under the chassis. if you do not do this, the salt will become an accelerant for oxidation and rusting.
2. Wax your Truck
After the truck is washed and dried, it's good to put a coat of wax on it. Waxing creates a protective barrier for your truck that can prevent salt and grime from accumulating in the first place. The best time to wax your truck is before winter starts, but you can still wax your vehicle after giving it a thorough cleaning.
3. Get the Snow and Ice off of the Top of your Trailer
This is not a tip that can get salt and grime off your truck, but rather a safety tip to protect drivers around you and yourself. Unfortunately, snow and ice slipping from the top of your trailer can potentially injure a person when they are driving behind you. The snow and ice can actually fall off and hit the driver.
This is something you'd want to avoid as you can get fined from some states. To prevent this from happening, make sure to get the snow off of your trailer before you start driving.
Tip: If you need to get it off quickly yourself, invest in a broom or extended brush. These items will do the job well.
Need more winter driving tips? Check out 4 Important Driving Tips for Truck Drivers
