If there’s one thing that makes Aussie truck drivers stand out, it’s their pride in the quality of their fleets.
That’s according to Abdullah Zahid, owner of Snap Truck Detailing and Polishing in Truganina, Victoria.
Abdullah is originally from Pakistan but moved Down Under in 2020 and took over his cousin’s business.
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He’s just returned from a trip to the US and Canada, where he learned about their truck detailing industry and made some observations.
“I saw heaps of trucks on the roads in the US and Canada, but most of them were dirty!” he says.
“Compare that with the Australian market, where at least 50 per cent of the trucks are clean and shiny.
“That’s what differentiates Australia from the rest of the world — Australians take real pride in their trucks. They’re crazy about them!”
Truckies come to Abdullah for three main reasons — they’re heading to a truck show, they want to sell their truck, or they have a signature truck that they like to keep looking schmick.
“Some people get their trucks polished three or four times a year — truck shows would be the main motivation,” he explains.
“We’ve detailed loads of trucks that have gone on to win prizes at truck shows, which always makes us happy.”
Snap Detailing and Polishing specialises in metal and cab polishing, interior cleaning and washing.
“We do a full chrome and metal polish from top to bottom and rear bar to front bar,” he says.
“We clean the interior, we do paint correction, we do a detail wash.
“Basically, we offer a full package to make your truck brand new again.”
While detailing might seem like something you could attempt yourself, Abdullah warns against it.
“There’s a proper skill and technique to it,” he says.
“Nobody can do it at home, especially when it comes to metal polishing, which involves sanding.
“We use our best, most highly trained people for the metal polishing — you can’t just show up and start doing it.”
Abdullah says sometimes people try to polish their own trucks and end up in a worse position than when they started.
“I’ve had heaps of people coming to me who have tried to do the job at home but have damaged the surface of the metal.
“That makes our job a lot harder, and sometimes the bull bar needs to be completely replaced.
“A bull bar for a truck costs $5,000 to $10,000, so it’s not cheap.”
Restored trucks require even more love and care.
“We need to go in and do more detailing and clean each corner of the chassis.
“But we always pay as much attention to detail as possible.
“When you are delivering a new truck to a customer, sometimes they’ve spent their life savings on it, so they want it to be perfect.”
Abdullah says detailing a truck is not a one-step process and can take several hours to complete.
“For a brand-new truck, it takes five or six hours with two people on the job,” he says.
“For an old truck, it could take eight hours with four people working on it.
“We also have someone who checks every inch of the truck after the detailer finishes it.
“He has a checklist, and he has to tick all the boxes before we deliver the truck.”
He says that his line of work is a pretty challenging one, and by the end of the day he’s filthy and exhausted.
“This is not an easy job — to do it, you’ve got to love it.
“To make the trucks shiny, we’ve got to make our faces black with dirt. It’s very physical.”
To be a good truck detailer, Abdullah thinks you need to be hard-working and conscientious.
“Some people come to work with us and they just quit because they can’t do it,” he says.
“I never say no to a customer, even if I have to work 12 hours a day.
“If someone comes to me and they have a show the next day and they need their truck polished, we’ll fit them in.”
His favourite thing about the job is seeing how satisfied his customers are.
“When I’m covered in dirt and handing the keys back to the owner and I see the smile on their face, that’s the best feeling you can have.”
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