Washing Your Truck
Owning trucks, whether it’s a single vehicle or an entire fleet, gives you certain responsibilities, like ensuring the oil is changed on a regular basis, that the gas tanks are properly filled up, and that the tires are all evenly pressured. One step that many owners may try to skip is washing their trucks. The sheer size of many trucks, or even the number of trucks in a fleet, may be overwhelming, meaning that this task is approached with some trepidation.
Managing a fleet of trucks requires attention to detail, from ensuring that regular maintenance tasks are performed to determining the logistics of who drives what where.
An often-overlooked part of truck service is cleaning the truck. An individual truck owner may not know where to start with this difficult task, while a more experienced manager of a fleet may know how to do it, but find it to be difficult, costly, and time-consuming. However, it’s not terribly difficult to do once you have the basics down, and if you tackle the task yourself, you’ll save money.
Bayview Trucks & Equipment, serving all of Atlantic Canada, offers a great selection of trucks for sale, including Kenworth Trucks. We’ve provided some information on washing your truck to help you get your rig spotless before your next ride.
Why Bother?
Keeping your fleet or single truck clean is important because it helps it to run better and gives you and your fleet a more professional and polished look. Build-up of dirt and road debris can do damage to a truck over time, and dirt may even hide potential problems that need repairing. Washing your truck allows you to have improved visibility thanks to clean windows and lights being free of debris, and it also makes your truck look nicer in general, which makes a great first impression on clients. Clean interiors promote better hygiene for truck operators and help them to present a more professional appearance as well.
Wash the Trailer
First, wash your truck trailer’s interior. Pay attention to the warnings and usage instructions on soaps and other cleaners to ensure they won’t damage either your interior or exterior surfaces. Start at the top and work your way down to the bottom, working from inside to outside. Make sure you wash anything that stays in the trailer at all times, like ramps or shovels. Let the trailer dry out thoroughly before operating it.
If you transport foods or other cargo that necessitates a very clean environment, you’ll need to wash out your trailer on a regular basis with the appropriate disinfectants to make the surfaces safe. Rinse the trailer walls and floor, then scrub with the right solutions before rinsing them again. You should be ready for inspection having completed these steps.
Washing the Exterior
When washing a semi-truck, you have a few options. Mobile truck washing is great if you only have to worry about one truck, so it won’t be expensive to get your rig cleaned up. A semi-truck wash is simply a larger version of your average car wash. Automated washes can be much quicker than washing by hand, providing you with a more thorough clean.
If you do go the hand-wash route, make sure to arm yourself with the right tools and soap. Use a good-quality truck wash and brushes that won’t damage paint while still providing you with enough scrubbing power to get off the grime.
Ready to find your new truck? Visit one of our dealership locations to see our inventory of new and used trucks for sale, including Kenworth trucks. Bayview Trucks & Equipment has multiple locations across Atlantic Canada, serving the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We offer truck service and repairs at our body shop, as well as financing and leasing options, so you can walk out with a truck that meets both your needs and your budget.