How Grunder Landscaping Co. Keeps Their Trucks Clean

Our jobs as landscape professionals are messy: we spend days outside in the elements, digging through dirt and mulch. It's part of why we like this work so much. There's something so satisfying in seeing the end result of what we can make and build. It also means it would be easy for everything we touch to be a little dirty too. 

I often get asked by others in the industry how we keep our trucks so clean. It's been a close-guarded secret up until now, but I'm finally ready to share how we do it with all of you:

We wash them! 😁

It's as simple as that. We pay a service to come in after hours and wash the trucks, and keeping the insides of our trucks neat is part of our company culture. We expect our crews to take ownership of their trucks and trailers, clean trash out of them at the end of the day, sweep out the beds, straighten up, and clean up any messes.

It seems simple, and maybe even a bit silly, to be this focused on cleanliness. The reason we do it isn't just because I like clean trucks. It's because of what clean trucks, equipment, and job sites say about us as a company. We're known in our area for doing great work, having integrity, and being professionals. We keep job sites tidy, we don't leave tools lying around, our team wears neat-looking uniforms, and we keep our trucks and shop clean.

If you're struggling with getting your team onboard with staying neat and organized, here is what I'd do to lay the groundwork:

1. Show them what's in it for them. Show them examples of other companies that stay neat, talk about how efficiencies from tidying up can impact their work performance, and give them reasons to want to help with this. Similar to how we have to sell our clients what the result will be, help your team see how staying organized and cleaning up can benefit them. 

2. Set the example yourself. We need to be great at what we want our teams to be good at. Keep your space neat and tidy, and ensure your truck is clean. Don't be the pot calling the kettle black. Sweeping the shop floors and cleaning the crew bathrooms are my responsibilities. It may seem strange, but I enjoy cleaning, and I like my team to know that I'll jump in and do dirty work too.

3. Create a usable system. An organizational system that's simple and easy to follow will make it easier for your team to maintain. Our trucks and trailers have toolboxes and racks to help crews stay organized, and our shop has clearly labeled places for everything. 

4. Stick to your guns. Once you've set expectations with your team, enforce them. Remind a crew that they must clean the trash out of their truck. Publicly reward crews who do a great job cleaning up to reinforce the lesson you're trying to teach.

5. Clean the bathrooms. We value our team members at Grunder Landscaping, and one of the ways we show it is by providing them with a clean and safe work environment. Would you rather work for a company with gross bathrooms or clean ones? It's as simple as that.

You can tour our shop, look inside our trailers, and see everything we do to drive organization and cleanliness during one of our Grunder Landscaping Field Trips later this year. Join us September 14-15 or October 12-13, we have space available, but spots will sell quickly.

I hope to see you there!

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