White Work Trucks

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I’ve noticed a curious thing lately — companies that have work trucks almost always seem to get white trucks!

One would think that they would want a color other than white for a work truck; after all, they are using the truck for work, which means that it will likely get dirty during the course of the day. A darker color, such as dark green or navy blue, wouldn’t show dirt as much as a white truck.

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Bluetrix

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Most Fleet trucks (and cars) usually are white, it’s the stock color and cheaper. Drive by a truck dealer and look for a service truck or van that isn’t white, good luck. All my service vehicles were white. Had to wash them a lot.

You could spend thousands of dollars applying a graphic wrap around, to re-painting, which isn’t exactly cheap for multi vehicle companies.

You can have it any color you want, as long as it’s white. 😀

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Light colors have the advantage of being easier to see, which tends to decrease the risk of road accidents. White is as light as it comes — unless the truck has turned brown from lack of proper truck hygiene. Is that the reason why trucks used for work, not transportation (18-wheelers come in all sorts of colors, often in some off-white and bright red combination) are mostly white? I can say, in all certainty and with total confidence that I really don’t know. Unfortunately I also don’t know any truck driver that drives a white truck to ask about this and get the answer directly from the horse’s mouth, as it were. Bluetrix seems to know more than I do, and says it is because white is cheaper. Does this mean that white trucks are cheaper to buy? Why is that?

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Bluetrix

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Here in sunny Phoenix, white is the most common color. It is believed to reflect the summer sun better than darker colors. (May be an urban legend, but my experience bears it out.)

I own two white Chevy trucks. One is 17 years old and the paint has not faded.

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Bluetrix, Myst, OscarCP

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I had a little walk through the web and wouldn’t you know it, this isn’t the only forum Mr Jim’s question had been asked. Color by popularity, as in the number of work vehicles a color were produced, to engine type etc were there, but color is the topic.

First search I typed : Why are work trucks white.

https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/why-are-work-trucks-white/

Explains why white paint is cheaper. (Paint composition)

Then: Why are fleet vehicles white.

https://www.automotive-fleet.com/148060/choose-any-vehicle-color-but-itll-probably-be-white-silver-or-black

Most common:
White for USA and South Africa
Silver for South America
Black fleet (huh?) Europe.

“A few key reasons why white is preferred for fleet vehicles: Color base: White is the primary color because it is inexpensive, usually done in a single-layer (as opposed to multi-layers found in pearlized tones and complex darker shades). It provides the widest possible use for fleets to customize.”(Jul 28, 2011 Google search result)

Red is the most noticeable. Probably because it is ingrained in our memory, it’s the stop, look and listen color.
Red traffic signals, red stop signs and until recently red fire trucks. On a side note, bulls seem to notice red better also.

I’m still not used to the lime green fire trucks we see in Florida. Yuck. The color white is most noticeable in poor light conditions, unless it’s snow that’s the cause. At night a black vehicle isn’t as visible, common sense me thinks.

Lettering stands out better on a white background. Company name, phone#.

The thing every site I looked at said in chorus was; white is cheaper. One site even mimicked and old saying: You don’t buy a black car in Florida, this holds true in many places. White is cooler, reflects the light.

If a company has many vehicles and rotates a few out each year, white is the color to choose, standardization. It’s difficult to tell from across the street if it’s this years white or 2 years old white. Last but not least, white has a better resale value. (so I read)

Another side note not related to work trucks. I have restored older cars and the best color to paint them is white … it doesn’t show imperfections as much as colors do. (I never said show quality restoration)

Hmmm … I wonder why all the spacecraft rockets are white.
(no, I didn’t paint them)

You can nit-pick everything I just wrote, I paraphrased most of it, except the quoted part.

Thanks Mr Jim for the question, I was tired of the crossword puzzle anyway.

Am I still in the Fun forum?

😀

 

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MrJimPhelps, Elly, OscarCP

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Of course, we can’t forget the recent Facebook stupidity (but I repeat myself) about white work vans being used for kidnapping women… “that’s why they have padlocks on the back doors.”

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MrJimPhelps wrote:

I’ve noticed a curious thing lately — companies that have work trucks almost always seem to get white trucks!

One would think that they would want a color other than white for a work truck; after all, they are using the truck for work, which means that it will likely get dirty during the course of the day. A darker color, such as dark green or navy blue, wouldn’t show dirt as much as a white truck.

Well Jim I must say I am in PROFOUND disagreement with you 😉
Having a black car and a GF w/ a white car the truth is the white car does not show dirt as much as the black car. Now dirt on a pure white surface in ones house under incandescent light might be a different story but for a car on the road, at least in my NE state, the white car wins.

AND she knows 😉

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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well if we are into conspiracy theories, maybe backscatter xrays work better through white paint

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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OscarCP

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Wavy: Your “conspiracy theory” about probing x-rays is quite irrelevant, except in hot weather and for people with no air conditioning in the car. Ultrasound waves reflect nicely from glass windows carrying, as a modulation, the sound of any conversation inside the cabin.

More generally speaking, I believe that Bluetrix has answered MrJimPhelps question quite nicely by now. Unless he disagrees, of course.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
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[wavy]

OscarCP wrote:

Your “conspiracy theory” about probing x-rays is quite irrelevant, except in hot weather and for people with no air conditioning in the car. Ultrasound waves reflect nicely from glass windows carrying, as a modulation, the sound of any conversation inside the cabin.

Ok that now needs an explanation 🙂

However white still shows the dirt less on cars…..

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by wavy.

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Wavy: While waiting for your comments and mine on “conspiracies” to be properly deleted, may I suggest you watch more spook movies and TV shows? Especially those with suspicious characters driving white working trucks.

Hint on ultrasound probes: Doppler effect.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Well Oscar we still seem to be here 😉

The part of your post that I was querying was

Your “conspiracy theory” about probing x-rays is quite irrelevant, except in hot weather and for people with no air conditioning in the car.

As for the latter: Spies will be Spies 🕵🏼

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Wavy, Since you asked: Ultrasound can be sent in very tight beams, so their energy does not scatter over fairly long distances. This is much, much easier (and cheaper) to do than with X-rays (that cannot be easily reflected back, either) . But only works if the ultrasound beam can be bounced off reasonably rigid, smooth and thin enclosures, such as car windows, shut ones, that is. Or any shut windows (without battens), pretty much. As seen in the spook TV shows and movies you should be watching.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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wavy

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