By: Paul Abelson Editor's note: Last month, we began our
examination of the effects of snow and ice control chemicals on
cabs and hardware. We continue our series with combating
corrosion on chassis, suspensions, and brakes. In 2001, Roy
Gambrell shocked attendees of the American Trucking
Associations' Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting
by making us aware of a new phenomenon. Gambrell is maintenance
director for Truck It in Franklin, Ky., and the council's soon-
to-be general chairman. He'd found that his fleet's brake
linings were cracking after only 30,000 to 40,000 miles instead
of the 100,000 miles or more he'd been getting. When shoes were
repaired or replaced, the cracking occurred more rapidly. The
cause: chemicals applied to roads to prevent or control snow and
ice. As tires roll over the roads they kick up fine sprays of
the chemicals. The moisture carries sodium chloride, calcium
chloride, and magnesium chloride, often in combination, which
wicks into the vehicle's nooks, crannies, and