OTR truckers need to clean their trucks periodically. good hand held vacuum cleaner -- especially if you have carpet in your truck -- can go a long way toward helping you keep your truck looking have had a couple of vacuum cleaners in our trucks over the years which we'll describe shortly. However, let's take a look at some of the options that are available to you. The first thing that should be apparent from a storage perspective is that you most likely don't have room in your truck for a bulky upright vacuum. You need something more compact. Unless you get a battery-operated or rechargeable unit, you'll also way to power it. The photos at left show displays of vacuum cleaners on sale at truck stops. The top photo shows three different styles of units made by RoadPro. The bottom photo shows two styles made by Tracker and another by Burton. Let's take a closer look at some styles and Most vacuums for sale in truck

stops are wired for Although this may be very simplistic, we have found options among hand held vacuum cleaners as follows (although some choices may not be able to be only (usually not for sale in truck stops); or AC- and DC-powered (with different plugs for each type of outlet); Merchandise with Retail Merchandise Our own personal observation is that most vacuum cleaners for sale at truck stops are 12-volt only whereas 12-volt and AC adapter. We have never seen for sale at a truck stop an AC-only-powered hand held vacuum cleaner. It's always a good idea to compare what is available for sale in a truck stop with what you can buy through traditional retailFor that reason, we have taken the liberty of comparing two Dirt Devil hand held vacuum cleaners here (courtesy of our affiliation listing a few of their features. One of the first things you may notice in both lists is the sizes of the motors. When you're looking to buy any electrically

powered cleaning tool, make sure you get enough "oomph" to meet yourThere's no reason not to -- not any more... Struggling with our household upright vacuum -- weight of the appliance, having to "heft" it into and out of the truck, running a power cord from wherever we could get power, and fiddling with the hose and attachments -- was an option that lost its appeal When we first started in trucking in the early 1990s, our only option for an in-truck vacuum cleaner was the 12-volt best of our memories, inverters (even the small type that can be plugged into a cigarette lighter) were not available for sale at truck Over time, that changed, but until it did, we were "stuck" with what we could get that would work in our company-issued truck. We found our 12-volt hand held vacuum cleaner far inferior to anyNot only was the suction ability pitiful but the electrical connection (for lack of a better word) "burned out." a very short period of time, we ended up throwing it out.

complete waste of money. When we purchased our first battery-connected inverter, the AC-powered world opened up to us. an AC-powered Dirt Devil hand held vacuum cleaner with a separate set of attachments (which frankly we rarely used). It was far superior to the 12-volt appliance we had purchased. (We'll show photos of using it in the truck below.) In fact, we still have and use the appliance today.wet dry vacuum cleaner price malaysia Some folks may disagree with us, but we view andyson vacuum cleaner parts nz appliance's warranty as a reflection of its quality. miele vacuum air cleaner before on our site. A short warranty period means that the manufacturer is not willing to put its name on the line for a longer period of time.

That's a red flag to us. One brand of 12-volt appliances in particular is famous for having only a "90 Day Limited Warranty" on their products. your unit tears up or stops working on the 91st day? You're flat out of Compare, for example, the following two units: The vacuum shown here -- although also a 12volt version -- has a "One year limited warranty!" Please see the lime green box near the bottom of We're not saying that the quality of the one with the longer warranty is better than the one with the short warranty. we recommending buying one over the other. period is something that should weigh into your purchasing The package or box of an appliance for sale at a truck stop can be very revealing. Don't just read what is printed on the box; Besides noting that the product shown here is the 12-Volt variety, the box says this product has aSome buyers will take that at face However, we encourage you to compare the

similar products to see if that is true -- as in "powerful" compared to Also notice how, uh, "mangled" or "roughed up" the It is obvious that a lot of truck drivers have opened and closed the box. Is the appliance worth the $32.99 that it is being sold You may need to go to a different truck stop find much of any variation in product styles. We have no experience in using wet/dry vacuums. wonder what kinds of spills or leaks a trucker may encounter is his/her truck that would require the use of this kind of appliance. can't something "wet" be mopped up instead of vacuumed up?) Using Our Hand Held Vacuum in a Truck The photos below show Mike Simons using our Dirt Devil AC-powered hand held vacuum cleaner to clean the floor in two different trucks he drove. there was ridged vinyl in the front part of the tractor and ultra short in the sleeper area. Mike is using the vacuum to suck dirt out of the hard-to-reach area under the gear stick cover.

is sitting on our portable In this truck, the entire floor was covered with Here, Mike is vacuuming the rather smooth vinyl floor just inside the sleeper area. Two power cords are visible: the unit's black cord and an off-white cord, which was part of a surge protector plugged into a battery-connected inverter stored in the cabinet. Mike had moved our portable toilet to clean the area where it For day to day cleaning out of dirt, you may be able to use a whisk broom (or combination whisk broom and dust pan) to sweep out of your truck. Depending on the size and nature of a small sticky area on vinyl flooring, you may need a baby wipe, a moistened paper towel or a rag with some Krud There are "blow gun kits" that allow drivers to "blow" dirt out of a truck (assuming that one has the air pressure inside one's cab to make it work). We don't recommend using a blow gun for OTR drivers who live in their trucks as it could blow dirt into your

clothing, bedding or foodstuffs. Mike reports success in using a blow gun in the day cab he drives for his local For "collecting" dirt from hard to reach areas, carpeting or some inside door mats, one has to use a vacuum cleaner. Of course in a truck, held vacuum cleaner fits better than larger models. you buy a hand held vacuum cleaner, you will need determine where you planIf you are planning to use your unit only in your truck, a DC-powered (12-volt) model may work for you. you would ever like to use it in an AC setting, it may be short-sighted to invest $30 or $40 in a DC-powered vacuum. Another thing that you'll need to determine is or not you will need attachments on your vacuum cleaner. attachments will you need? Will the attachments that come with your unit meet your needs or do you need to buy an additional set ofHow much extra will those cost? Among the most useful hand held vacuum cleaner