A garbage truck is the dirtiest vehicle on the road by design, and it is also the one the whole town sees on the same morning every week. Haulers were among our first customers and they are still the fleets we see most often. Refuse trucks need a different wash from a dry van: the body, hopper and tailgate carry leachate and residue that soap does not touch, the hydraulics weep onto everything, and the undercarriage spends the winter in brine and the summer in whatever leaked from the hopper.
What a refuse wash covers
- Cab and body exterior with the two-step wash, which is also what brightens the aluminum and takes the tar off the lower panels.
- Hopper and tailgate with a degreaser and hot water, to cut the residue and the smell.
- Packer blade, cylinders and hydraulic bay degreased, so leaks are visible and the mechanic is not working in it.
- Undercarriage and frame through the winter, where a packer's extra weight and salt exposure rust frames faster than any other unit type.
- Roll-off and lugger containers washed out on the yard, especially before they go to a customer that cares what they look like.
Front loaders, rear loaders, side loaders, roll-offs
Each body washes differently. On a front loader the arms, forks and the top of the body collect what the dumpster drops; on an automated side loader the arm and the hopper opening; on a rear loader the tailgate and the hopper lip where the residue builds. Roll-off trucks are mostly a frame and hoist job, with the containers as separate units. The crew know which is which, and the yard sheet notes anything particular to a unit, like a cab that has to be washed with the arm down.
Why haulers run weekly
Residue builds daily, and the public notices within a week. Nearly every refuse fleet we wash is on a weekly route, usually overnight between the last dump and the morning pre-trip, so the trucks go out clean. Why refuse fleets need a wash program, not a wash.
Odor, residue and where the water goes
Hopper washouts produce water that cannot go to a storm drain. We work over a reclaim mat with vacuum recovery where the yard has no sanitary drain or contained pad, and we will tell you plainly if the yard needs one. For hoppers and bodies we use a degreaser with an odor neutraliser, which is why the trucks smell like a wash and not like a landfill when they leave in the morning.
Can you wash the hopper with the body up?
Yes, with the body on the safety prop and the truck off. The crew are trained on it, and the yard sheet records which units need it.
Our trucks come in at 5pm and leave at 5am. When do you wash?
In that window. Most refuse routes run between 6pm and 2am. The crew need the keys or the gate code and a spot to park the wash truck.
Do you wash the containers too?
Yes, roll-offs, luggers and front-load dumpsters, priced per container. Many haulers put the containers in the yard on a monthly cycle and call for customer-site containers as needed.