Got some dirt on Schneider

one thing you need to understand is the orange color sticks out aand shows everything. it is winter time and road grime, dirt, sand/salt, etc. get all over the truck. most terminals have wash bays, if they have time or if the bays are working. not sure how they work but most companies will pay for a visit to the blue beacon once a month.

 

A stop at the Blue Beacon is OK if the company pays for it, but if the driver pays, it's going to be a minimum of about 35 bucks. At least that's what it was on my tour bus. On top of that, if you want to use a hand job car wash, where you can scub it down, you have to find one that accomidates trucks, and then, try getting there with a load through the city or where ever it happens to be. It's not always easy to get your truck washed if you are running. Maybe at terminals, but how many times are you at a terminal when you need a wash and have an hour to kill? Sometimes going through various weather on one load can get you looking sloppy.

 

Our trucks are brand new but stay dirty alot. The company hires a service to come in and wash them once a month at most. Blue Beacon is too expensive to pay out of pocket just for a shiny truck. It looks better clean but I suppose bottom line is, a dirty truck gets it there just as well as a clean one.

 

First Schni has a truck wash at a majority of their major terminals...But keep in mind there a lot of lazy drivers who just do not care... At the time I worked for them they would not pay for an outside wash such as blue beacon...

Now Any truck driver can tell you that you can wash your truck one day drive 5 hours hit a spot that is snowing and it never looked like you had washed it... ...

Shni does care but it really is left up to the drivers to run their equipment threw the washes... I washed my truck every time I hit a term with a wash....

Most companies that do not have a wash at their term will only pay for 1 wash per month... If you want to wash it more then it out of your pocket... Just a tractor will cost you around $50 and to wash it and the trl will cost you around $65....

 

You have to consider cost. Especially when you have such a large fleet.

Most companies don't "make" their drivers wash their trucks. Although the majority want the trucks clean.

I know many drivers that spend money out of their own pocket to wash the truck. It's a matter of personal pride.

Personally, the only money I will shell out, is at the local car wash, which has a truck bay here where I live. All others are paid for by the company.

 

My employer pays for us to hit the Blue Beacon every two weeks. Unfortunately, that;s dependent on me having the time to get in there, and sometimes I simply don;t have the time available in my schedule. And if the weathe is going to get nasty, there is littlesense in getting wash done. Right now, the truck is pretty dirty, and if the weather holds up decently, I am stopping in at one of the washes on the way in to Chicago tomorrow. If I have to use the Beacon, I try for very early in the morning. Rarely will I go there is there are 4 trucks in line waiting. I just can;t afford the time.