TEEBOX
Member
Does anyone have an idea about truck washes? I guess what I'm asking is are there conveyors to wash trucks! If anybody out there has any information to at least direct me. please let me know.
Truck Wash
- Thread starter TEEBOX
- Start date
There are no truck wash conveyors that i am aware of. Most the most common set up uses pressure washers and manual labor. There are some that are drive through types with a series of arches and brushes. There is some very good automatic truck wash equipment out there but I think part of the reason you don't see very many retail automatic truck washes is cost/profit ratio. They are much more expensive to build and operate than an traditional automatic and although you can charge quite a bit more for a wash it is tough to generate enough volume to make them profitable. Most automatic truck washes that i am aware of are owned by a company used to wash their own trucks.
robert roman
Bob Roman
TEEBOX
Member
Thank you for your responses! I'm surrounded by trucks all day here in the Motor City! Trying to figure out a way to capitalize on it!
A new logistic trucking terminal sits across the street from my location. It's very busy delivering F150 parts to various locations. They plan on expanding!
A new logistic trucking terminal sits across the street from my location. It's very busy delivering F150 parts to various locations. They plan on expanding!
I had a customer once who decided to get into the truck wash business. He lasted about a year before he closed it down. He installed good equipment from these guys http://niagaranationalcorp.com/ but the operating costs killed him. He also found out how cheap truckers and trucking companies are.
Bob Koo
Member
You have a major player in the Truck Wash World right next to you in Grand Rapids, MI. They manufacture equipment and chemicals, and have been around a long time. Just go to UTube, they have quite a few videos of sites all around. I know they have a major site in Lansing, MI called Cody's Truck Wash that is a 200ft tunnel. I don't think you would want a conveyor. Just imagine the stain on a roller and chain trying to push or pull a 40,000 vehicle. Just go to their website hydrochemsystems.com
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
robert roman
Bob Roman
“I'm surrounded by trucks all day here in the Motor City! Trying to figure out a way to capitalize on it!”
Perhaps the best way to capitalize is to begin with something less risky like leasing a big step-van and start-up a mobile trucking washing business.
Here, you would drive to businesses and wash customers trucks in company parking lot like porters do at new car dealerships.
Free-standing truck wash is tougher game than carwash.
Trucks are very long so lots of property is needed for navigation and buildings. For example, a dual tunnel requires 3.0 acres of dirt and three structures totaling 8,500 SF. Also requires huge detention pond.
Demand is greatest at highway exchange and requires co-location with high volume truck stop. Most sites need 40 to 50 rigs a day to make money at $50.00 a pop.
Hand wash takes 30 minutes and auto roll-over about 8-minutes (friction or touch-less). It’s a very messy business that requires very strong chemistry.
Independents drivers who own their trucks are more finicky that car owners and they don’t like automatic brushes.
Corporations want contracts and discounts. Some of these companies are even cheaper than new dealers in terms paying a fair wholesale price.
Then there is exit strategy. Not only are there very few buyers for this type of wash, what happens if the site falls short of projections?
What is worth less than used carwash equipment? Answer, used truck wash equipment.
How much is a used 8,500 SF, 25-year life, metal building worth? Answer, steel scrap prices.
What do you do with 3.0 acres next to a built-out truck stop? Answer punt.
Sorry I’m so emphatic. I’ve done some opinion of value reports for under-performing truck washes and it isn’t a pretty scene.
Perhaps the best way to capitalize is to begin with something less risky like leasing a big step-van and start-up a mobile trucking washing business.
Here, you would drive to businesses and wash customers trucks in company parking lot like porters do at new car dealerships.
Free-standing truck wash is tougher game than carwash.
Trucks are very long so lots of property is needed for navigation and buildings. For example, a dual tunnel requires 3.0 acres of dirt and three structures totaling 8,500 SF. Also requires huge detention pond.
Demand is greatest at highway exchange and requires co-location with high volume truck stop. Most sites need 40 to 50 rigs a day to make money at $50.00 a pop.
Hand wash takes 30 minutes and auto roll-over about 8-minutes (friction or touch-less). It’s a very messy business that requires very strong chemistry.
Independents drivers who own their trucks are more finicky that car owners and they don’t like automatic brushes.
Corporations want contracts and discounts. Some of these companies are even cheaper than new dealers in terms paying a fair wholesale price.
Then there is exit strategy. Not only are there very few buyers for this type of wash, what happens if the site falls short of projections?
What is worth less than used carwash equipment? Answer, used truck wash equipment.
How much is a used 8,500 SF, 25-year life, metal building worth? Answer, steel scrap prices.
What do you do with 3.0 acres next to a built-out truck stop? Answer punt.
Sorry I’m so emphatic. I’ve done some opinion of value reports for under-performing truck washes and it isn’t a pretty scene.
As I said before the cost/profit ratio as Robert suggests is not good. I was involved in a proposed project to build a truck wash with an automatic and four bays. The cost of the equipment was almost double of that for a regular automatic with four bays. With the cost of the land it was significantly more. As much as I would have liked the commission after going over all the details I ended up telling the potential investor/operator that it just didn't make sense. Although they really wanted to do the project they finally agreed that it was not a good idea.
I don't agree about the brushes though. Almost all hand truck washes use brushes and can do a lot more damage than a friction gantry so while I agree they can be finicky I don't buy the idea that truckers shy away from brushes. The new gantry units do an excellent job and use quite a bit less chemical and water than the touch free models. Drive through units that are touch free tend to do a better job if you accept the cleaning quality over drive through brush units.
As far as your situation I think neither option - a fixed site or mobile wash - makes much sense. As Robert said, trucking companies and corporate accounts tend to do things on the cheap and private truckers can be a real pain to deal with when washing their "baby".
I don't agree about the brushes though. Almost all hand truck washes use brushes and can do a lot more damage than a friction gantry so while I agree they can be finicky I don't buy the idea that truckers shy away from brushes. The new gantry units do an excellent job and use quite a bit less chemical and water than the touch free models. Drive through units that are touch free tend to do a better job if you accept the cleaning quality over drive through brush units.
As far as your situation I think neither option - a fixed site or mobile wash - makes much sense. As Robert said, trucking companies and corporate accounts tend to do things on the cheap and private truckers can be a real pain to deal with when washing their "baby".
ToFarGone
Member
If you go the mobile route please please please check with your department of natural resources or environmental committee to get the regulations. Where I live they have the capability of shutting you down and taking your rig. They can also fine the owner of the property where the washing is taking place. They described to me the types of surfaces I could wash on without reclaiming the water and how close I could be to ditches.
Good advice all around. If this would be your first business involved with vehicle cleaning, get a good bottle of single malt scotch, sit back and really think it through. Then go on to something else. There are situations where this is done that are profitable. Most are usually operated by large fleet operators. It is a much more controlled environment. To really clean come trucks, you may need kick butt chemicals. The automatic rollovers, while a little costly, are not that much more than you might expect. I recently quoted an Istobal truck wash that is actually less expensive than a top of the line Ryko Select a Wash. However, if it was that easy, you would see them all over the place. And the most common one, Blue Beacon, washes by hand for crying out loud. Although the machine manufacturers have car washing pretty well worked out, it just hasn't translated to trucks yet.
Chuck Ivey
Member
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Years ago a fellow built a truck wash right next to large truck stop in New Jersey. We installed a friction machine and a touchfree machine and several high pressure wand gun stations. They had a waiting room for the drivers and a bunk room for the employees. But after a couple years the place closed up. Every time I rode by it was still closed. Then I went by and a couple guys had reopened it and were washing trucks by hand and they weren't busy at all. I could think of a lot of better ways to invest my money.
Tranzwash Group
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We are a Truck Wash located in Melbourne, Australian called Tranzwash Group. We specialize in Rigid Trucks, Prime Movers, Trailer combination and Tankers, supporting owner operators to Large Fleets. Truck washing with a quality finish and workmanship at a cost-effective price. Its a good industry if you work with right people when build the business.
check out our website:
https://tranzwash.com.au/truck-wash-3/
https://tranzwash.com.au/
check out our website:
https://tranzwash.com.au/truck-wash-3/
https://tranzwash.com.au/
