This time of year I can't keep the truck clean for more than a day. I washed it a week ago when it got warm and went above freezing briefly. I shake the mats out every couple days but it takes a very thorough cleaning in the spring to get rid of most of the mud. Not something I want to do when It's cold out. I spend all day outside working so at the end of the day I want to be inside. Especially if it's dark when I finish up.
How dirty do your work vehicles get?
- Thread starter 350Rocket
- Start date
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Ours at my shop doesn’t get too dirty and we are in the south so not extremely bad in the winter for the chemicals either. We wash it on the nice days. It’s only used for road calls it’s a old Ford road service truck.
I think the pictures don't do mine justice. The tailpipe had a mound of mud stuck to it.
I leave the floor mat out all weekend to get it dried out. The drivers floor had to he replaced once already a couple years ago because of being constantly soaked (and didn't have a decent mat in it before).
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Yeah it definitely looks like it goes in muddy conditions regularly that’s for sure. I never knew that a surveyor could get a truck that dirty.
While not a work truck it does duty as a commuter in the Rocky Mountains. I don’t participate in ceramic wax discussions much. 
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- Dec 28, 2014
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A true work pickup truck gets filthy. Especially if you live in the salt belt.
I mean, I can’t even keep my daily driver clean and it’s not used for “work”. I can only imagine a work truck...in and out, up and down construction sites with dirt roads. Throwing all your gear inside and the back. Rushing around...other things to worry about than the vehicle.
Ive seen some horrific construction pickups...a carpenter I know has so much junk inside his interior...nails, paper work all over the place, tools. And the bed is filled with wood, tools, mud. Dents all over the thing. Super high mileage...guy probably does 600 miles a week pulling a trailer up and down the highway and on and off job sites.
Know a mason/patio guy that does the same thing...500-600 miles a week pulling a trailer up and down the highway, loaded to the gills with a pickup truck not really rated for it (1500). It’s his daily driver too, so he tries to keep it clean and has nicer rims on it (2016 GMC Sierra). Be interesting to see how long it lasts...he’s put over 100,000 miles on it in four years. Keeps up with the maintenance though.
I mean, I can’t even keep my daily driver clean and it’s not used for “work”. I can only imagine a work truck...in and out, up and down construction sites with dirt roads. Throwing all your gear inside and the back. Rushing around...other things to worry about than the vehicle.
Ive seen some horrific construction pickups...a carpenter I know has so much junk inside his interior...nails, paper work all over the place, tools. And the bed is filled with wood, tools, mud. Dents all over the thing. Super high mileage...guy probably does 600 miles a week pulling a trailer up and down the highway and on and off job sites.
Know a mason/patio guy that does the same thing...500-600 miles a week pulling a trailer up and down the highway, loaded to the gills with a pickup truck not really rated for it (1500). It’s his daily driver too, so he tries to keep it clean and has nicer rims on it (2016 GMC Sierra). Be interesting to see how long it lasts...he’s put over 100,000 miles on it in four years. Keeps up with the maintenance though.
My work trucks are either on a farm or on the highway, they are filthy all the time.
jagdriver727
Site Donor 2021
My work vehicles are my Ranger and my ‘71 '69 Dodge... they both stay fairly clean because I’m mildly obsessed over it.
My buddy has a junk yard and his work truck is BAD. An F-350 with a major dent on every body panel. Holes worn through the carpet below the brake and clutch pedals, not that you can see it with all the dirt. Weeds growing in the bed. The dogs don’t even want to ride in it.
My buddy has a junk yard and his work truck is BAD. An F-350 with a major dent on every body panel. Holes worn through the carpet below the brake and clutch pedals, not that you can see it with all the dirt. Weeds growing in the bed. The dogs don’t even want to ride in it.
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Automechanic, no reason for a sad reply. These trucks provide jobs to 10 hard working people and are part of the system that grows food for the nation. We put 50,000 miles on the last year. Mud is the least of our concerns, they aren’t going to a car show anytime soon and the are well maintained.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I know but I’m a stickler for a clean vehicle
. Except when I’m mudding with my friends or something i then wait for it to dry and clean it off. But absolutely nothing can be in the cab or floor I go nuts.
I hardly ever warsh my old Tundra. When the neighbors borrow it, it magically comes home with a full tank and a fresh warsh!
All good.
All good.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Wow, that's really bad on the inside.
Get rid of those crappy floor mats and put in some Husky Liners or Weathertechs. Then use some blue masking tape and seal up the edges so the mud can't get to the carpet.
Get rid of those crappy floor mats and put in some Husky Liners or Weathertechs. Then use some blue masking tape and seal up the edges so the mud can't get to the carpet.
That's a really good idea. I was considering buying weather tech but they're pricy and I saw these at Walmart for $20, much better than the ones I did have. The OEM mats weren't good and were worn right out. It also doesn't help that the insulation was all rotted out so it got thrown out when the new floor was welded in, so now it holds even more stuff around there.
I'll definitely have to upgrade the mat. In the late summer I pulled the carpet up, sanded the surface rust off the floor and sprayed it with rustoleum/tremclad. Hopefully doing that a couple times a year helps.
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That's the way a truck is supposed to look.
No work vehicle here. But our daily drivers will often look that bad over the winter on the outside. Rarely like that on the inside, although that may be the fault of lighting and/or colors--light colors might hide salt and sand better?
This year I swept a couple pounds of sand out of my garage that the wife's car shed. AFAIK she hasn't been on any dirt roads since last fall.
This year I swept a couple pounds of sand out of my garage that the wife's car shed. AFAIK she hasn't been on any dirt roads since last fall.
A lot depends on the boss. I had a fleet detailing business for 15 years ( B.C.) some were made to keep them pretty clean, other would be a mess in a week.
Not mine. All that filth makes everything wear out amazingly quick. Like sandpaper every time you move
