As a professional truck driver or fleet manager, you understand the importance of making every penny count. While you might not have given much thought to investing in a regular truck washing schedule, the data shows it’s far from a frivolous or vain exercise. It can translate to serious and tangible savings.
Getting a truck wash removes friction-causing grit and damage-inducing debris that wears your truck’s parts down more rapidly. This leads to preserved components, improved engine performance, and boosted miles per gallon (MPG).
But those are just a few benefits you gain from washing your truck. Read on to learn how truck washing leads to a healthier bottom line for your business.
Reduces Wear and Tear on the Truck
Have you taken a peek at the underside of your lorry lately? Just a short jaunt down one of Britain’s motorways and major A-roads is enough for grit, mud, and road debris to accumulate in every nook and cranny. As this mixture of dirt, salt, and grime builds up, it causes exponentially more wear and tear on crucial truck components.
Roads that have been gritted in the winter months are particularly problematic. The corrosive salt eats away at brake lines, corrodes alloy wheels and body panels, and even seeps into the engine bay. Road dirt and dampness also speed up the oxidation process, leading to premature rusting if left unaddressed.
What’s worse, fine silt and grit can grind away critical moving engine parts or make its way into air filters, the cooling system, and suspension components. Clogged parts force your lorry to work harder and significantly curtail the lifespan of some of your truck’s most crucial components.
The good news is that this outcome is easily avoided with timely truck washes. Regularly removing the debris and grime that builds up on your vehicle over time can maintain the integrity of seals, hoses, panels, and everything in between – potentially saving you thousands of pounds every year.
Improves Fuel Efficiency
Whether you are a solo operator or manage a large commercial fleet, fuel ranks among the highest operational costs. So, even marginal fuel savings per trip can positively impact your annual bottom line. It might surprise you to learn that letting dirt and grime accumulate on your trucks can noticeably reduce fuel efficiency.
Research from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) shows that a thin layer of dirt as little as 0.04 inches thick is enough to worsen your vehicle’s aerodynamics. The disrupted airflow forces your engine to exert more effort to power forward movement. Working harder directly translates to burning extra diesel. On the other hand, a sparkling clean cab and trailer allow air to glide smoothly over and around your lorry – boosting those precious miles per gallon.
A filthy air filter also changes the air-fuel mixture, diminishing your MPG by up to 10%, according to experts. When you combine impaired aerodynamics and airflow issues, your fuel efficiency drops noticeably.
Therefore, instead of wasting miles of fuel, it makes sense to give your truck a deep clean and maintain optimum performance. A regular truck wash schedule will pay dividends at the pump through substantially lower annual fuel expenditures.
Maintains Company Image and Reputation
Besides your drivers, your trucks are the primary visual representation of your company on the road and to customers. A spotless vehicle instantly conveys professionalism, reliability, and pride in your commercial operation. However, with just a bit of grime build-up, that trusting first impression gets replaced with the perception of inattention and sloppiness.
Of course, regular truck washing is especially crucial for haulage and transport outfits whose contracts depend directly on expert service and a stellar reputation. However, the principle holds true for any business with company vehicles. Presenting a clean fleet means portraying a commitment to excellence in every aspect of operations. Having a dirty fleet suggests your attention to detail and quality wavers in other ways, too.
Maintaining gleaming trucks should be a priority, even for lorries serving internal operations. Your team’s morale gets a subtle boost from seeing their company’s commitment to visual standards and upkeep. In contrast, a filthy fleet reflects on your organisation’s professionalism and can feed into the attitudes of your staff.
So, regardless of your business type, stay vigilant with consistent truck washing to reap the brand image benefits of a great-looking lorry or fleet.
Keep Your Fleet Clean and Save Money in the Process with LPW Europe
As we’ve explored, consistent truck washing provides clear cost savings through reduced repairs, optimal fuel efficiency, and polished branding.
At LPW Europe, we offer over 50 years of experience as specialist vehicle cleaners with locations across the UK. Our dedicated truck wash sites situated along major freight routes offer quick, quality washing services for driver convenience. Our friendly staff combine precision pressure washing and foam treatments with hand-finished cabs, wheels, and chassis using our ISO9002 standard Traffic Film Remover detergent and top-grade tools.
If you run national fleets, you can also simplify logistics by having LPW act as your single provider of truck washing services across our strategically located UK locations, with various payment methods (including payment on account) available.
So contact us today to discuss account pricing, or find your nearest LPW truck wash site here.