Truckers may spend more time in their vehicle than anywhere else during a busy work week. With a full shift and sleeping overnight, it is clear that the cab is your primary living space. While keeping the inside and outside of your 18-wheeler clean and neat may seem like a simple task, it can be a detail-filled responsibility that should not be overlooked. Fleet washing is one solution that can care for all aspects of keeping your truck and trailer clean and tidy.

Overall health and wellness

Over-the-road drivers are typically gone from home for weeks at a time, with the majority of that time spent inside the truck. Along with traveling long distances to deliver a package, they generally spend their time in the truck’s cab eating, resting, and relaxing. Living in a small place can make cleaning up a challenging process, but it is critical to put in the time and effort to keep the inside of a truck clean and orderly. Maintain the inside of your truck by knowing how to properly care for it.

Taking the time to pick up trash, arrange belongings, and wipe down surfaces can benefit the driver’s mood, health, and driving performance. Keeping the interior clean can preserve the quality of the interior and prevent wear and tear that could appear if proper upkeep was not followed. Interior cleaning can also prevent germs and bacteria from growing and spreading. This is vital to prevent because this is an area where the driver spends hours of their time, which includes eating and sleeping among other daily activities. Preventing such germs and bacteria ensures that you have little to no downtime due to illness and you are able to reach your destination in a timely manner. Lastly, an organized and clean space can prevent distractions while driving, resulting in a safer trip.

Prevent contamination of goods

A trailer washout is necessary for more than simply attractive aesthetics and clean odors. A clean trailer is critical for minimizing cross-contamination in products, mildew, mold, and insect infestation. This is especially important when shipping chilled products like food and medications. Implementing a thorough washout once or twice a month and not simply a hose-down, will significantly decrease these dangers and enhance cleanliness.

Avoid issues during a mandatory inspection

While having a fully cleaned truck is obviously not a guarantee that drivers will avoid a future traffic inspection, officers may consider your cleanliness as a positive signal that your truck is in order. Any time experienced truck drivers can save time by shortening or avoiding inspections while on the road is time well spent.

Cleaning the interior

Remove unnecessary items

Examine your possessions, including cooking tools, canned or packaged food, reading materials, devices, and clothing. Is there anything you never use or wear? If this is the case, remove them and either leave them at home or dispose of them at a rest stop. Keeping your cabin clean is easier when you have fewer items in it.

Organize your belongings

It takes some ingenuity to figure out where to arrange things in a limited area. Begin by grouping related items and consider investing in plastic boxes or travel organizers for storage. Give each object a distinct position after you’ve placed it in a container. You can maximize your space by storing things in the cabinets, compartments, seat backs, and underneath the bed. You may also make additional room by hanging bags, hats, laundry bags, and garbage bags from utility hooks. Truck organization is about more than simply keeping your cab clean, it is also about safety. Putting stuff away can help keep them from rolling or flying around while driving.

Take out the trash

When you are always on the road, garbage accumulates quickly. Designate a handy location for a garbage bag to help keep it under control. Make sure it contains fast food bags, munchies, plastic bags, beverages, and other waste. You will not have to collect trash from numerous compartments and surfaces if you put everything in one bag. To prevent smells from accumulating, dump the bag whenever you stop.

Dust

Dust particles can cause eye discomfort, coughing, sneezing, and even asthma episodes, especially in small areas like a truck cab. Wiping down interior surfaces is a simple technique to remove dust. Dust cabinets, drawers, shelves, electronics, appliances, the dashboard, and other hard surfaces on a regular basis with a microfiber cloth. Be cautious when cleaning the dash to prevent damaging any knobs or dials, and avoid using oil-based products with a glossy finish that might generate glare from the sun.

Vacuum regularly

Regular vacuuming results in fewer dust, garbage, and food crumbs on the floor. Begin by removing any floor mats and rugs and shaking them outside. Vacuum the floor and seats, and access hard-to-reach places using a long attachment hose or crevice tool. Before reinstalling the floor mats and rugs, make sure you vacuum them.

Cleaning the exterior

Lather your truck with soap

Use warm water and a professional solution to clean the outside of your truck. Dish soap and other non-truck goods may have an adverse effect on the wax and paint finish. Using the wrong products increases the chances of nicks and rust stains. After lathering your truck, use a pro-level squeegee to remove the soap suds.

Scrub and soap wheels

Loosen any build-up on your wheels and rims with a hard sponge or scrub brush. There are fantastic solutions made particularly for these difficult-to-clean spots. Consider purchasing one for personal use.

Rinse thoroughly

To begin, dowse the outside with buckets of warm, clean water. This procedure removes any contaminants that may still be stuck to the truck’s exterior. When you are ready, grab a hose and spray away any soap or suds.

Wax immediately

Following the directions on the wax container, apply a little quantity of wax to a soft pad. Using gentle-but-firm, little circular motions, work the wax into a thin coating on your automobile in sections. Wax should not be applied on rubber, plastic, or unpainted truck parts. When a haze appears, go to the next unwaxed portion. More wax can be applied to your instrument as needed.

To apply the wax more evenly, use a dual-action or rotary polisher. This is dependent on your level of familiarity with using these sorts of instruments. After you have covered the entire vehicle, make sure to touch up any places that were missed. In any event, you may always get your automobile professionally waxed.

Trailer washouts

The cargo on most trucks is changed on a regular basis. They may be moving furniture one day and groceries the next. In general, refrigerated trucks transport products that require a certain climate, such as frozen food. However, with companies that provide varying products, the diversity in products in the trailer of a truck can be limitless. Spraying the trailer with a hose does not produce the same results as a full soap wash. First, thoroughly clean the area to eliminate any remaining material. Spray the entire trailer with soap and soak it for a few minutes. Finally, rinse and spray off the soap residue. A trailer washout will aid in the removal of any germs or residue left behind by previous products. It will also protect the fresh cargo from contamination.

How to keep your truck clean going forward

After you have returned all of your curtains, mats, and clean clothing to the truck, it may be beneficial to take some preventative measures to reduce uncleanliness. These are some actions you can do to keep your truck smelling and looking good. Install rugs in the sleeping area to allow easy cleaning of the floor surface near and around your bed. Setting a reminder on your phone for when it is time to change the air filters can help with making sure that the cabin air remains fresh and smelling good. When entering the vehicle, change your work shoes for driving shoes, this not only helps with safety while driving but keeps the pedals clear of any debris you may bring in coming from outdoors into your truck. You can also keep a soft cloth on hand to wipe off the dashboard on a regular basis. Lastly, an addition of an air purifier can help clean the air around you, this is especially important if you have allergies and remove air pollutants.

You may wish to get the interior and exterior professionally detailed depending on how much time you spend in the cab and how frequently you are on the road. You may do this as frequently as you wish or simply a few times a year. While it is an investment, a deep clean paired together with regular maintenance can keep the inside fresh and in good shape. This is why fleet washing is highly recommended.