The spread of H5N1 Bird Flu or HPAI and its ability to infect livestock and other mammals, including humans means that clean trucks aren't just about looking good and avoiding salt damage. Clean trucks mean reducing the risk of spreading the disease, with the extra benefit of potentially increasing safety for your team.
As of February 26, 2025, a press release from the USDA announced "a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices." A main part of this new strategy includes expanded biosecurity audits.
Let’s look at how an automated fleet cleaning and disinfection system has continued to be a smart choice for fleet managers in this ongoing outbreak.
Why clean trucks matter
Think about all the places a truck travels in one week. How often will it pick up and drop off feed, produce, or other deliveries before it sees a wash? The trucking industry has begun to see how dirty trucks could spread diseases and germs, causing millions of dollars in profit loss.
What is biosecurity?
Biosecurity is the steps an organization takes to protect against the further spread of pathogens. For trucking specifically, this could mean:
- Use water or soaps to remove any dirt and grime that can carry diseased particles or block the sanitizer from making direct contact with the surface.
- Using sanitizer to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, or fungi that can spread disease to other animals, plants, or humans.
- Keeping detailed records of when the truck was last cleaned and/or sanitized and when the next scheduled clean is.
Most transportation fleets don’t regularly follow a strict set of sanitizing rules. This can lead to trade restrictions and more importantly a loss of revenue.
The problems with hand-washing
Hand-washing trucks with pressure washers or pump-up sprayers can seem like the easy answer, when in reality it costs more time and energy than it’s worth. It provides a result that’s not worth the extra, inefficient labor. When washing specifically for sanitation and disease prevention, the outcomes could be even worse for your fleet.
- Employees get tired or bored and rush the process. They miss spots that could contain pathogens, making the entire cleaning a waste of time
- Some areas on these vehicles are difficult to reach, even for the most agile employees.
- Hand-washing uses significantly more water and resources than a systemized wash.
- It’s hard to prove that the job was done to standard when there are no regulations and different employees doing the process.
How an Automated Truck Wash System makes the difference:
Automated Truck Wash Systems are similar to a drive-thru car wash you use for your daily driver. But they are much larger, and more powerful to accommodate the largest trucks. They can also be touchless to avoid scratching a truck’s paint or logos.
Consistent cleans
Automated systems don’t get tired, or skip steps to move faster because things always stay on schedule. This equipment washes your trucks with the same thoroughness every single time. There’s no wondering whether your crew missed a spot doing it by hand, or if they cleaned the undercarriage.
Better coverage
Angled nozzles help ensure nearly every inch of your truck is cleaned and disinfected from harmful pathogens. Places like the undercarriage and inside the wheel wells are taken care of, so you can worry less about transporting your germs to the next stop on your route.
The undercarriages of trucks are often forgotten with hand-washing, but with an automated system, they are specifically targeted. Every aspect of the trailer and main truck components get hit with the soap and receive a full rinse, followed by a sanitizer.
Saves time & money
You can have your employees work on higher-value tasks instead of inefficiently washing big trucks.
You will also find savings on soap and sanitizer products. The automated system dispenses a consistent amount of cleaning agent for each wash cycle. Most systems will also keep track of exactly how many products are used, so you can spend less time managing the inventory of your cleaning supplies.
The automated wash can often be used as a full wash system, OR the end user can choose to have a ‘sanitizer-only’ option available. This means if the vehicle is already clean, you can save time and chemical costs by only sanitizing instead of completely cleaning with soap.
What’s next?
Industrial-sized food production are becoming the new normal. This means moving to large-scale, mechanical, production of crops and animals. Then, it often results in the use of chemicals and fertilizers to speed up growth.
While this may not be an ideal situation for American farmers, producers, and growers, it means a more regulated need for quick and reliable transportation of products. The recent outbreaks might give you the chance to stay ahead of your competition with consistently clean vehicles that won’t transport pathogens between large production sites. With an automated truck wash system, cleanliness can be a benefit and feature of your business, not just a nice amenity.
If you’ve ever considered switching to an automated truck wash system, the ongoing outbreaks should be the final push you need. Look at what rules your company should be following, and what you’re currently spending in time and money to keep your vehicles clean.
Remember: clean trucks mean happy customers, healthier communities, and (at the end of it all) a better bottom line for your business's revenue. Watch this video for a close-up of a full wash and sanitizing system in action.
