28/10/2026
🔥 | Cab Fire on the Motorway!
Sometimes it's the things you'd least expect that can cause the most serious damage to a commercial vehicle.
This week's Workshop Wednesday is a stark reminder of how something as innocent as a bag of de-icing salt stored in a passenger footwell can have potentially devastating consequences.
🚨 THE INCIDENT
While travelling on the motorway, a customer's truck caught fire inside the cab. Thankfully, the driver escaped injury and managed to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.
Our technicians attended alongside the Fire Brigade to make the vehicle safe before recovering it to our workshop for investigation.
🔎 THE CAUSE: SALT, CORROSION & ELECTRICAL FAILURE
Following an extensive investigation, our team traced the cause to a ruptured bag of de-icing salt that had been stored in the passenger footwell.
Salt had gradually worked its way behind the dashboard trim, accumulating around the vehicle's SAM control unit and fuse board.
Over time, corrosion developed around the electrical components, increasing resistance and generating heat, eventually resulting in an electrical fire.
The damage was extensive. The dashboard, wiring, control units, and numerous interior components were severely damaged.
🔧 THE REPAIR: EXPERIENCE, INGENUITY & KEEPING COSTS DOWN
This customer operated just one truck, which was over eight years old. Replacing every damaged component with brand-new parts would have made the repair prohibitively expensive.
Instead, our technicians took a more practical, cost-conscious approach.
✅ Extensive electrical fault tracing and wiring repairs
✅ Repair and refurbishment of salvageable components
✅ Carefully sourced second-hand dashboard and interior panels
✅ Original driver's seat professionally reupholstered
✅ Electrical systems thoroughly inspected before returning to service
✅ Replacement hire vehicle supplied to keep the customer trading
This wasn't a simple parts replacement exercise. It demanded considerable technical expertise, patience and skilled workmanship.
The result? The truck was repaired and back earning its keep in under THREE WEEKS, at a significantly reduced cost to the customer.
⚠️ THE LESSON FOR EVERY DRIVER & FLEET OPERATOR
As we head into winter, it's worth reminding drivers that the cab isn't a storage cupboard!
De-icing salt, cleaning chemicals, liquids and other corrosive materials should always be properly secured and stored away from sensitive electrical equipment.
Modern commercial vehicles contain complex electronic systems, and contamination can lead to expensive failures or, as this case demonstrates, something far more serious.
A relatively inexpensive bag of salt nearly cost a customer their truck. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
At Alltruck, we're not simply in the business of replacing parts. We're here to diagnose problems, find practical solutions, minimise downtime and keep businesses moving.
That's what being Scotland's Complete Fleet Partner is all about.