Driving tests

How do you sanitise your car or truck?

To ensure that your vehicle is completely sanitised to reduce the risk of catching a transmissible disease such as COVID-19, follow these steps:

When cleaning, you must wear gloves. A face mask and safety goggles must be used if working in close proximity with others. You may need to wear hi-vis in certain working environments.

Check with your employer how frequently you should be cleaning the vehicle. In some cases it may be after every pickup/delivery, while in others it might be daily, weekly or less.

Before you go to the vehicle, make sure you have enough cleaning and anti-bacterial products to hand. The vehicle may need replenishing with hand sanitiser and you will need to use it before you start cleaning and after you stop cleaning.

It’s advisable to have a checksheet in the vehicle where the vehicle’s cleaning schedule can be logged. Be sure to clean this, too.

Don’t start the cleaning while there are other people in the vehicle or close by outside the vehicle. Passengers’ personal items should be removed before you start.

Wipe all surfaces in the cab down with antibacterial wipes or spray. This includes:

  • Handrails used for climbing in and out of the vehicle
  • Door handles (exterior and interior)
  • Seats
  • Steering wheel
  • Cab controls and instrument panel (including the air conditioning and stereo controls)
  • Handbrake, seatbelts, seatbelt release mechanism.

If you are refuelling, use disposable gloves or wipe the pump handle, pump controls (e.g. where you pay) and the fuel cap with antibacterial wipes before commencing.

Once you have finished cleaning, place all disposable items (wipes, gloves, etc) in a rubbish bin and put your cleaning products away in a safe location; cleaning products should not be stored where non-authorised people can access them.

Wash and dry your hands and/or use hand sanitiser.

There may be other hazards associated with specific jobs – this guide doesn’t cover those.

For drivers delivering goods

Goods delivery drivers will need to sanitise any items they have picked up which could have been touched by someone’s hands. Wear suitable gloves for loading and unloading.

Stay at least 2 metres from any people you are picking up from or delivering to.

Darren has written over 3000 articles about driving and vehicles, plus almost 500 vehicle reviews and numerous driving courses. Connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking the name above

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