Have you ever pulled into a truck stop and walked along the rows of all the parked trucks? Have you seen the mountains of receipts, paperwork, empty wrappers and bobble-heads? This is not a good look for any driver and especially for the company that driver works for. Clutter in your cab is going to happen over time, it is just part of the job and living in your workspace. However, dash trash should not be part of the job or your living space.
Truck Appearances Matter
A messy dash will say a lot about you. Your customers will notice, other drivers will notice and your employer will notice. Honestly, when there is a giant pile of stuff in the front window of your cab it makes you look messy too, because you sit right behind it!
A dirty truck will attract the attention of the DOT and other enforcement agencies. If it looks like you don’t care about your dash, then what do you do with your paperwork or your freight? Do you load and secure your freight with as much care if you don’t even care about your dashboard clutter? These are the questions you should be concerned about if you want to continue to keep your dash dirty.
Some states have guidelines that even check the dirtiness of the dashboard. The first thing inspectors look at is a dirty truck, a dirty windshield and a dirty dashboard. All of these factors directly affect the driver’s ability to do their job properly and safely. That’s why we say watch out for dirty dashers.
Safety and Compliance
Safety becomes a large issue with having a dirty dash. If you have an emergency situation and need to slam your brakes or attempt to dodge a road hazard, you have a high probability of spilling tons of your dash trash on your floorboard. If you happen to have trash roll under your feet and the pedals, you might not be able to stop. No one wants to see an accident happen but they do happen and there are a lot of variables to consider while out on the road. Prevent further accidents and complications by having a clean workspace.
The same situation can occur for organizational and compliance reasons. If you tend to throw a lot of things up on your dash, it is most likely true that your paperwork at one time or another will reside here as well. This makes your record keeping and management much more difficult because those papers can easily slide around, get lost or get mixed in with the wrong paperwork. If you have an issue when dropping off your freight and need to reference your paperwork, it might make it difficult to find and will reflect poorly on you and your company.
We hope you enjoyed some of our tips on how to better manage your dash trash and appearance. Paramount Freight Systems wants to make sure you own your route to success. We can help you with any questions, so feel free to contact us. Don’t forget to share your tips and tricks with us on our social media channels.
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