Beyond the Thaw: Getting Your Commercial Fleet Ready for a Busy New Hampshire Spring

January 16, 2026

Winter in the Merrimack Valley doesn't just go away when the snow melts. It leaves behind a parting gift on our roads: thousands of pounds of salt and some really deep potholes in New England. If you operate a business in Salem, you know that this is the exact moment your commercial trucks are most vulnerable. At Aleksa Auto, we see the results of a hard winter every day in our service bays, and we know that a little bit of prevention right now saves a massive repair bill in July.

The Invisible Enemy Under Your Chassis

You might think a quick trip through a local car wash is enough. It isn't. Road salt works its way into the tightest crevices of a box truck frame and stays there. When the humidity of a New Hampshire spring hits, that salt activates and starts eating through brake lines and electrical harnesses. Our master technicians specialize in deep-chassis inspections specifically to catch this corrosion before it leads to a roadside breakdown on Route 28.

It is not just about rust, though. We have to talk about the alignment. Between the frost heaves and the new potholes opening up on South Broadway, your front end takes a beating. If your steering wheel feels even slightly off-center, you are scrubbing expensive tread off your tires every mile you drive. A quick alignment check in our 12-bay facility is the easiest way to protect that investment.

A Practical Checklist for Local Business Owners

We recommend every fleet manager walk their lot this week and look for these specific red flags:

• Check the glass: Small winter stone chips turn into massive cracks as the glass expands in the spring sun. Catch them early.
• Listen to the brakes: Winter slush often causes brake calipers to stick. If you hear a faint grinding or feel a pull, get it checked immediately.
• Test the air conditioning: You haven't used it since October. Testing it now ensures you aren't stuck in a hot cabin during the first humid day in May.
• Battery health: Cold weather kills batteries slowly. We often find that batteries that barely survived January finally give up the ghost during the first few warm weeks of spring.

Keeping Salem Businesses Moving

We know that for a local contractor or delivery service, a truck in the shop is a truck that isn't making money. That is why we focus on high-efficiency turnarounds. We are your neighbors here in Salem, and we take pride in keeping our local economy moving by keeping your fleet safe and compliant.

Do not let winter wear catch up to you when your schedule gets busy. Swing by our South Broadway shop or give us a call to get your commercial vehicles scheduled for a full spring recovery service.

Ready to get your trucks in top shape? Reach out to our service department today and ask about our spring maintenance specials for local businesses!