Career Atlas USA

Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment

Median salary
$35,830
Average salary
$36,980
Employment
380,430
Projected growth
3.9% growth
Annual openings
56,200
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential

What Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment Do

Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 20242034.

Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
7.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

  • Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
  • English Languageimportance 3.3/5
  • Transportationimportance 3.1/5
  • Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
  • Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.9/5
  • Production and Processingimportance 2.8/5
  • Mechanicalimportance 2.6/5
  • Education and Trainingimportance 2.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

  • In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.9/5
  • Exposed to Contaminants4.8/5
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.7/5
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.4/5
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.4/5
  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled4.3/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

  • Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
  • Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
  • Operations Monitoringimportance 2.9/5
  • Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
  • Service Orientationimportance 2.4/5
  • Coordinationimportance 2.3/5
  • Equipment Selectionimportance 2.3/5
  • Equipment Maintenanceimportance 2.3/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

  • Bella FSM Auto Detailing Service Software
  • BookFresh
  • Green Cloud KleanTRAC
  • Inventory tracking software
  • Thoughtful Systems Scheduling Manager for Auto Detailing

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Cautiousness
  • Integrity
  • Achievement Orientation
  • Perseverance
  • Optimism

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

  • RealisticHigh
  • ConventionalMedium
  • InvestigativeLow
  • SocialLow
  • ArtisticLow
  • EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where cleaners of vehicles and equipment make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

  1. 1Grand Island, NE4.76× national avg
  2. 2St. Joseph, MO-KS3.27× national avg
  3. 3Gadsden, AL3.17× national avg
  4. 4Hanford-Corcoran, CA3.04× national avg
  5. 5Enid, OK3.03× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

See the full career path from Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment

Full salary data & percentiles →Best states for this career →Highest-paying states →