Most shops start their uniform program with the technicians. That makes sense. They're the ones going home with oil on their sleeves. But walk through the building on a Tuesday morning and you'll see what happens next. The techs are in work shirts, the parts counter is in whatever people grabbed from the closet, the detail crew is in old t-shirts, and the service advisors are in polos that don't quite match anyone else.
A good automotive uniform program covers the whole building. We've been outfitting Chicago businesses since 1921, and here's what we think it should include, role by role, so you can build one that fits your team.
What Is an Automotive Uniform Program (and Why One Garment Doesn't Fit Every Role)?
An automotive uniform program is the full set of work apparel, laundering, repairs, delivery and support that keeps every department in your shop or dealership dressed for its job. A shirt order is only one piece of it. The program also covers who wears what, how it gets cleaned, how it gets fixed or replaced, and who you call when something's off.
Customers have more choices than they used to, too. A Cox Automotive study released in November 2025 found that dealerships handle 12% fewer service visits than they did in 2018, and 45% of owners said they were unhappy with dealership service, mostly because of unexpected costs and poor communication. Uniforms won't fix either of those on their own. But a team that looks organized is one small way to show customers you've got the details handled.
Service Technicians: Built for Grease, Oil, and Long Days
Your technicians put their clothes through more than anyone else in the building. Oil, grease, fluids, tight spaces, and a lot of bending and kneeling. Here's what we see work.
Work Shirts, Pants, and Denim
Industrial work shirts and work pants are the backbone of a technician program. Durable denim is another option for crews who prefer it. The goal is clothing that holds up through a full shift and still looks put together at the end of it.
Coveralls for Messier Jobs
For the messiest work, coveralls give full coverage. They're a good fit for techs who spend the day under vehicles or deep in an engine bay.
Garment Maintenance That Keeps Costs Predictable
Even durable garments wear out eventually. Our Garment Maintenance Program helps manage early replacement charges, so a pair of pants giving out sooner than expected doesn't turn into a surprise on your invoice. Our laundering process is built to remove common shop contaminants, and every garment is inspected and repaired before it comes back to you.
Parts and Detail Teams: Automotive Workwear for Dirty, Physical Work
Parts and detail crews don't always get the same attention as the techs, but their work is just as hard on clothes. Parts staff are moving boxes, reaching shelves and going back and forth between the counter and the back. Detail teams spend their days on their feet around soap, water and product.
The right automotive workwear for these teams is the same kind of sturdy shirts, pants and coveralls we put on technicians, plus jackets and outerwear for people who move in and out of the building or work on the lot. Putting them in the same program means one delivery, one laundering process, and one place to call when something's missing.
Service Advisors and Sales Teams: Polos, Button-Downs, and Branded Apparel
Automotive uniforms for customer-facing roles shouldn't look like shop gear. They should look like your brand.
Service Advisors
Advisors are the people who explain the repair and the price, and based on that Cox study, that conversation matters. We outfit them in polished, comfortable apparel that holds up to a full day at the counter and out on the drive.
Sales and Showroom Teams
For the showroom, we offer branded polos, button-down shirts, dealership jackets and outerwear that give your team a consistent look. If you want to dig into how this plays out for dealerships, we wrote more in our post on professional car dealership uniforms.
Management and Front Office: One Consistent Branded Look
Managers and office staff are easy to leave out. But they're in and out of the shop and the showroom all day, so customers see them as much as anyone. Consistent branded apparel pulls the whole building together, from the service bay to the front desk.
It matters to the businesses that rent uniforms, too. In a TRSA survey of business decision makers, 82% of those who rent uniforms and textiles cited company image as a reason, the top reason on the list. If you want to see what's possible, our Automotive Look Book is a good place to browse styles.
Facility Support: Towels, Fender Covers, Mats, Mops, and First Aid
Uniforms are only part of keeping a shop running. The rest of the building has needs too, and they can ride along on the same route.
Shop Towels and Fender Covers
Reusable shop towels handle the oil, grease and everyday messes. We launder them professionally and deliver them with your uniforms, so you aren't reordering disposables. We also offer fender covers for shops that want to protect customers' vehicles during service. If you'd like the OSHA side of oily rags, we covered it in our post on auto shop uniform programs.
Floor Mats
Scraper mats at the entrances trap dirt, water and grease before it gets tracked through the building. Anti-fatigue mats give your techs and advisors some relief at workstations and counters. Entrance mats also help protect showroom floors.
Dust and Wet Mops
Professionally laundered dust and wet mops, delivered on a regular schedule, help keep service bays, waiting areas, offices and showrooms cleaner.
First Aid Cabinets
For shops that want it, our managed first aid program keeps cabinets stocked, inspected and refilled on a regular schedule, so nobody has to remember to check.
Put it all together and you get one delivery, one invoice and one team to call. We wrote more about why that adds up in Why Managing Multiple Facility Vendors Is Costing Your Business Time (and Money).
What a Good Automotive Uniform Program Includes: A Checklist
If you're comparing providers, here's what we'd look for:
- Garments matched to each role, from the service bay to the showroom
- Professional laundering that can handle shop soil
- Inspection, repairs and replacements built into the program
- Reliable weekly delivery with tracking to catch missing garments
- A plan for early replacement costs
- Easy adds for new hires, size changes and repairs
- Logo embroidery and branding that stays consistent across departments
- Towels, mats, mops and other facility items on the same route
- A real person who knows your account and picks up the phone
How We Build an Automotive Uniform Program at Roscoe
Here's how we approach it:
- We start with your roles. We build the program around your employee roles, branding and day-to-day operations, from a team of 10 to a large dealership with multiple departments.
- We track every garment. Each one goes through 18 to 24 RFID scans per laundering cycle, so deliveries are complete and accurate.
- We keep billing predictable. Our Premium Prep Program avoids upfront emblem and setup charges, and our Garment Maintenance Program helps avoid early replacement fees.
- We answer fast. We hold ourselves to a one-hour response commitment, and our team averages 13 years of tenure, so the person who knows your shop tends to stick around.
Our ISO 9001-certified processes also help keep quality consistent from week to week. We're a fourth-generation, family-owned company, and that's how we've kept customers for more than 100 years.
Build an Automotive Uniform Program That Fits Your Whole Team
The best programs don't treat the shop, the parts counter, the lot and the showroom as separate problems. They put everyone in the right gear, keep it clean and in good repair, and give you one team to call. If you're ready to build one for your shop or dealership, we'd be glad to help.