Putting an end to the rust tax

Corrosion has a broader impact than the visible wear it causes on the trucks, trailers, and buses that support commercial operations across North America. It is a hidden tax that shows up in added labor, more frequent parts replacement, unplanned downtime, inspection and safety concerns, and reduced resale value.

Many of those outcomes are influenced before a vehicle ever enters service. During manufacture, coatings are used to protect cabin, pressure containers, fuel tanks, air springs, footsteps, and mufflers across a wide range of commercial vehicles. When coating performance fails to protect against corrosion, it is often fleet operators and owners who pay the price.

Corrosion is also a considerable cost to global industry. According to the Association of Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the bill stacks up to approximately US$3 trillion annually, with up to 35% of that cost being preventable through improved corrosion protection strategies. The Interpon Cost of Corrosion report, based on a survey of 1,000 manufacturers across sectors, offers a useful lens into how commercial vehicle manufacturers are thinking about corrosion today, and why that matters to fleet maintenance management.

The costs fleets feel

In fleet maintenance, corrosion doesn’t just create ‘rust’. It increases repair frequency, drives parts consumption, adds technician time, and raises the likelihood of unplanned downtime. It also accelerates asset devaluation, especially for equipment where visible corrosion influences resale pricing and customer perception.

In North America, corrosion challenges are often intensified by regional conditions such as road salt use in northern states, coastal exposure in port and marine environments, and wide temperature swings across operating regions. For many fleets, high utilization rates, extended operating hours, and exposure to mixed-use environments like urban, highway, and off-road further accelerate corrosion-related wear.

In the commercial vehicle segment, our Cost of Corrosion manufacturer report data shows corrosion is being treated as a customer retention issue: 34% of manufacturers cite their biggest corrosion expense as lost customers and product returns. That’s a strong indicator corrosion can escalate into warranty claims, dissatisfaction, and earlier replacement decisions.

Environmental impacts are close behind. Some 30% of commercial vehicle manufacturers cite the environmental burden – waste/landfill and early replacement – as a leading corrosion expense. Given these combined pressures, corrosion protection is widely viewed as critical in the sector, with 95% of commercial vehicle manufacturers rating it as either essential or very important. Fleets trying to extend service life and reduce waste can benefit when Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) improve baseline durability.

Corrosion protection choices

Commercial vehicle components face different environments and duty cycles, so manufacturers rely on multiple corrosion protection strategies. Survey respondents report using:

• Powder coatings (49%)
• Liquid coatings (48%)
• Electroplating (35%)
• Hot-dip galvanizing / HDG (22%)

Liquid coatings, including e-coat processes, are often used for coverage of complex shapes, seams, and cavities. Powder coatings are also used widely for these purposes, and their adoption is often tied to durability and manufacturing efficiency.

For fleets, the important point is that coating selection and quality control in manufacturing can either increase or reduce variability in corrosion performance across components, affecting how predictable maintenance planning is over time. In North America, where fleets often operate mixed vehicle types across multiple regions, this variability can make it more difficult to standardize maintenance practices and forecast component lifespan.

Durability driving coating choices

Manufacturers are choosing coatings with lifecycle performance in mind. Some 58% of commercial vehicle manufacturers cite extending lifespan and preventing recalls as the primary reason for coating choice. Powder coatings are also strongly linked to lifespan extension in the segment, with 77% of commercial vehicle manufacturers saying powder coatings extend product lifespans.

The objective is clear: Longer-lasting protection upstream can translate into fewer corrosion-driven repairs, reduced downtime, longer service life, improved resale outcomes downstream and less reputational damage.

The sustainable impact

As the results on how commercial vehicle manufacturers feel the cost of corrosion show, improving durability is not only important for protecting business outcomes, but also for the environment. Sustainability isn’t only about end-of-life disposal; it also shows up in how consistently and efficiently parts can be protected at scale.

Sustainability is an area where powder coatings are gaining ground. Commercial vehicle manufacturers associate powder coatings with:

• Better production efficiency and process control (67%)
• Less waste generation (70%)
• Better environmental performance (65%)
• Longer-term durability (77%)

Manufacturers are also exploring ways to reduce their environmental footprint through lower curing temperatures and fewer coating layers, helping reduce energy use and waste in production, while maintaining performance and long-lasting appearance.

In North America, these improvements are increasingly aligned with regulatory expectations and customer pressure to reduce emissions, minimize waste and improve lifecycle efficiency, without compromising uptime or durability.

What advances in powder coatings mean for fleets

Powder coatings are being engineered to meet commercial vehicle needs such as corrosion protection, OEM surface-friction requirements, stone-chip, chemical and UV resistance, color matching and long-term appearance retention. Such engineering is vital for high-value, industry-critical equipment that operates seven days a week in harsh weather conditions and under continuous outdoor exposure.

For fleet maintenance management, the value of these improvements is practical: when parts and surfaces are better protected from the start, fleets can reduce corrosion-driven rework, avoid premature replacements, and hold onto asset value longer. This is particularly relevant in North America, where technician shortages and rising labor costs make reducing repeat repairs and unplanned maintenance a growing priority.

Corrosion as a lifecycle lever

Corrosion is a major cost driver, but much of it can be prevented. Treating corrosion protection as a durability and total cost-of-ownership decision at the design and specification stage enables fleets to benefit from reduced maintenance, fewer failures and longer service life.

For North American fleets operating under tight cost controls and uptime expectations, these decisions have a direct impact on maintenance budgets and asset performance.

For manufacturers and fleet operators alike, improving corrosion protection starts with a shift in mindset:

• Specify coatings based on real operating conditions, not just minimum standards
• Prioritize long-term performance over upfront cost
• Identify components most exposed to corrosion and ensure they receive appropriate protection
• Select coatings that deliver both durability and required functional performance
• Work closely with coating suppliers to meet performance needs and evolving regulatory requirements

In today’s demanding applications, corrosion protection is not just about preventing failure – it is a strategic enabler of performance, efficiency, and long-term value.