The US domestic population for chassis is 800,000, design and longevity are integral to the sustainability and economic viability of the product. The average age of in-service chassis is 18 years. The economic service life is 25 to 30 years when refurbished at an average of 17 years in service.

The primary challenge is that a chassis, by its usage and nature operates in an extremely harsh environment. Damage to coating finish and integrity can accelerate the corrosion process. The ability to provide the lowest cost of ownership through extending economic service life and minimizing and reducing maintenance and repair cycles is key to sustainability, growth and viability.

From a sustainability and carbon footprint consideration with future new chassis demand averaging 50,000 chassis and an additional 25,000 scheduled for refurbishment annually, hot-dip galvanizing could provide a paint reduction of approximately 625,000 gallons annually. The significant advantages of hot-dip galvanizing provide immense savings and results. The utilization of natural abundant (iron ore and zinc) material, provide a model which enables the ability to reuse, reprocess and recycle the product, reducing the blasting of zinc rich primer and paint finishes as well as the expense of recoating them during the refurb process.

This greatly reduces the cost of the refurbished chassis reintroduction into the fleet. This cost reduction is a significant driver into lowering the cost of ownership than is available under the current market model examined. This Maintenance-Free Longevity reduces environmental impacts from the production of the HDG and are extrapolated out over the 50+ year life, as no maintenance means no additional environmental impact during use.