If you drive your pickup truck on a surface other than asphalt, you are more than likely going to need to add a very important accessory to your truck: mud flaps. Although the non-traditional pickup truck owner who simply likes to feel like the king of the road may add mud flaps to his truck for aesthetic reasons, most truck owners realize that mud flaps are important in helping to keep their truck clean and protected from whatever substances might be kicked up by their truck’s tires.

In addition to protecting a truck’s paint from damage caused by debris like rocks and sticks, truck mud guards also help keep your fenders clean and your finish fresh. Although the "off-road" look may appeal to some, repeated exposure to mud, dirt, and rocks can eventually take a toll on a truck’s paint job. Mud and dirt that is allowed to dry on a truck’s surface can be difficult to remove, often resulting in scratches when attempts are made to remove it. For the most part, mud flaps help confine the dirt and grime from the road (or off-road) to the truck’s wheel well, making it easier on the truck owner when it comes time to give the truck a wash.

Mud flaps also help protect your truck from unfinished business left behind by careless road crews. Fresh paint from the road and even freshly laid asphalt can fly up and can severely damage a truck’s paint job. With the addition of mud flaps, there is no need to worry about road paint and asphalt becoming a permanent fixture on the sides of your pick up truck. Truck mud flaps can usually catch any paint or warm asphalt that may fly up and become attached.

Besides the fact that mud flaps help keep the sides of a truck from road debris, it is difficult to argue against the idea that they also add aesthetic value to a truck. There are many types and varieties of mud flaps available on the market today that can help give a truck a unique and customized look and feel.

Other than the traditional rigid or flexible rubber mud flaps, some mud flaps are available with steel or aluminum reinforcement for added stability and protection. There are even some mud flaps that are made completely of metal, usually a composite or lightweight form. Which mud flap works best depends, like other truck accessories, on the way the truck is used. All mud flaps protect, but if a truck is going to be used in areas that are full of rocks and other debris, or if it is going to be driven at relatively high speeds, it is best to purchase a set of rigid and sturdy mud guards that will be able to absorb or deflect the flying debris.

Whether a truck is intended for use on or off the road, light or heavy duty, or fast or steady driving, chances are there is a set of mud flaps ready to be slapped on to your pickup truck and provide just the look, feel, and protection you need.