Truck wash

[JustClean]

Hi all
It's now been the third time within a week that huge trucks want to get into my small carwash. Talking to the owners they tell me there is no place nearby where they can get their trucks cleaned. I mean enough room to move, strong concrete, good height and an automatic that cleans the whole truck without the need for the driver to climb up and do that dangerous job. Knowing some places they tell me, there is always a line up with owners paying big, big dollars. Have you ever considered concentrating more on trucks? What are your thoughts on this? If so, rollover / touchless / hand wash? Cheers JustClean

 

[washnvac]

Three years ago I bought a wash with an outside bay for trucks, large rvs etc. I closed that bay after only a month. Three words: grease, grease, grease. It was one hell of a mess. Even with the truck owners spending $10-20 per, it simply was not worth the mess. Occassionally regular vehicles pulled in the bay, and this person was pi$$ed because they got grease on them. I think there is probably a decent market for a truck wash, but I would not mix it with a regular self-serve.

 

[JustClean]

I think there is probably a decent market for a truck wash, but I would not mix it with a regular self-serve.

No, I wouldn't generally mix it either. I am thinking of a new facility just for big trucks, lorries, etc. Where did all the grease come from?

 

[ncwg]

Semis use my ss wash, they just leave road grit but never had a grease problem.

 

[washnvac]

No, I wouldn't generally mix it either. I am thinking of a new facility just for big trucks, lorries, etc. Where did all the grease come from?

The grease came from third wheels on tractors. They would drag the hose all over it. Filthy dump trucks would come in (usually late at night), and wash their beds after hauling hot mix all day. They'd wash everywhere there was a grease fitting, wash the engine compartment, under the dump bed, etc. The previous owner had just painted the walls red before I bought. After the one month, you could barely see any red for all the black grease/dirt splatter. I am not kidding....it was just a real mess. Globs of grease would be left on the pad, and subsequently make it to the drain grate. And since that bay was on the end of the wash, it always made the entire facility seem dirty. I only tell you this to prepare you. If you do a s/s application, you may want to close it when no one is there to prevent the craziness I had. Good luck!

 

[JustClean]

If you do a s/s application, you may want to close it when no one is there to prevent the craziness I had. Good luck!

Gee, that's scary! But I guess as with any other SS carwash signs and a good camera system pay for themselves. But hey, thanks for the good advice.

 

[jprb]

Magic Wand had an automatic RV / truck wash at the ICA show this year. It might work in the right location!

JPRB

 

[bigleo48]

JustClean,

This has been covered many times, but here's my 2 cents anyway.

I regularly have transports wash their tractors in my SS bays. I know almost all of them and they typically don't give me any problems. All of them mention that I should open a truck bay. I looked into it and discovered there is a reason why there are so few out there.

First you need the room, you don't want them mixing with your regular cars. 5th wheel grease is always a problem and then there's the rest...**** bottles, sleeping in bays, parking all night and then there's the special visits...like when the coin gets stuck and the driver uses a crowbar to free it and destroys the coinbox in the process. Most truckers are good guys, but there's a few that ruin it. I passed on the idea.

BigLeo

 

[MEP001]

A friend of mine has a truck bay, and one mother trucker finally "ruined it" and made him decide finally to put up a height restricting bar and make it a car-only bay. Once a week an idiot would clean his gravel trailer and for some reason would break the foam brush. He quit replacing it, so the last time the trucker broke the wand when he was done instead, and this is after he left 4 inches of mud in the bay.

The truck bay does half the revenue of the next lowest income bay, and takes up to an hour to clean every day. The pit fills up in two months where the rest may take a year, and they won't just pump one pit - that means $500 a month in pit pumping for one bay (That's half the revenue from that bay).

 

[JustClean]

hmmm...haven't thought about the mud. That's a point. Thanks everyone.

 

[MEP001]

The mud, the grease, the damage from them running into stuff, hooking their mirrors and smokestacks on the hoses, hitting the roof when they raise their beds to clean the underside, the changing of their oil in the pits, draining their compressed air tanks full of oil on the bay floor and in the lot...

It can be profitable, but it's a lot of work to keep up with it. If you let it slide much they'll quit coming, then you're left with a ruined wash that no one's using.

I've had dump trucks wanting to use our wash, practically demanding that we open a truck bay. They don't respect that we're trying to run a clean establishment, they just want someplace to knock off the mud and grease. The companies that actually care about keeping clean trucks have their own wash facility.

 

[Dubois Laundry/Carwash]

What height limit was used to convert to "cars only".
Not exactly related, but my smaller bay in the one with a door (probably not the right door for a SS bay but it was here when I bought the place. Anyway, it doesnt fold to the sides or roll into a coil, it goes parellel to the ceiling. The Boom is higher than the door and wont rotate 360 degrees. I am thinking about lowering the boom below the door tracks and that would make my clearance about 8 ft. My truck would fit under that just fine, but the hose might rub on the top of the cab if I didn't park exactly under the pivot, and then I wouldn't be in the center of the bay for washing the front (or rear) bumper effectively.

 

[jjw]

I have a four bay SS truck wash. Yes they are a mess. You just have to get on to them at every turn. I have a skid plate cleaner at the shop next to the wash, the regulars just come over and ask for it with a twenty dollar bill deposit and just sit it on the plate and let it work and the time just rolls on. The camera shots after the sun goes down usually show the name and truck number and I just get nasty as he$$ with them and that usually ends that they just don't come back after a a$$ chewing. Got a pretty good bunch now that the mentally challanged are run off. The bussiness is down about 20% with fuel high as it is, just have to see if I want to close off two of the bays for autos only. jjw