NDL Forum

shel311 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:28 pm I'm going over and saying your initial offer came in at $19.













Just taking the contrarian route, you probably went with the standard $18.50

My initial offer was $22.50.

I normally wash these at $35/$25/$17.50 for monthly/bi-weekly/weekly. But that's normally when only washing under 10 of these.

Was told they were getting them done at $19. Was going to come in at $18.50 but stuck with the $19 and sold them on the quality. I wasn't going to haggle for the additional$3.50 when it "only" cuts ~$3k yearly. Wash them at $21k a year or offer at $24k a year and not get it. Kind of a no brainier for me. Especially since my soaps and overhead costs a third of what I'm gonna get.

Dammit, I hit it spot on at $19, but meant nothing since I went with the qualifier afterwards.

The pause in all services during this COVID-19 has killed me for expanding. I believe I won the bid to wash a 60 truck fleet with 100 trailers before this all started, so now it's a waiting game. I did see on the Nextdoor app that someone was looking for a mobile truck washer to come out and clean his truck. Hit him up and went cleaned his truck today.

George, do you ever watch this channel on YouTube? His videos are always satisfying to watch...

https://youtu.be/qc6fZ_J1vbc

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video.

sixpackdan101 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:04 pm George, do you ever watch this channel on YouTube? His videos are always satisfying to watch...

https://youtu.be/qc6fZ_J1vbc

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video.

I have not. But after watching this, I don't want to work that hard. I want to be less than 10 minutes on a truck like that

12 hours cleaning that truck! I wonder how much he charged for that.

GeorgesGoons wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:10 pm

sixpackdan101 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:04 pm George, do you ever watch this channel on YouTube? His videos are always satisfying to watch...

https://youtu.be/qc6fZ_J1vbc

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video.

I have not. But after watching this, I don't want to work that hard. I want to be less than 10 minutes on a truck like that

I know a few guys that detail and they absolutely enjoy it. I did it in my late teens and it was an ok gig, but couldn't do it long-term. Plus on something like that, it's just not worthwhile as a business. Obviously in his case he's found another avenue with the video revenue stream, which is great.

1 question I do have... living in an area where 'mudding' is a common thing, I know what that mess looks like when he sprays it off... I wonder how much of his time investment was spent cleaning that up and I wonder what he did with it. He seems to be working out of his residential driveway and I have to imagine that he didn't shoot that shit down to the street sewer.

ReignOnU wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:04 am

GeorgesGoons wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:10 pm

sixpackdan101 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:04 pm George, do you ever watch this channel on YouTube? His videos are always satisfying to watch...

https://youtu.be/qc6fZ_J1vbc

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video.

I have not. But after watching this, I don't want to work that hard. I want to be less than 10 minutes on a truck like that

I know a few guys that detail and they absolutely enjoy it. I did it in my late teens and it was an ok gig, but couldn't do it long-term. Plus on something like that, it's just not worthwhile as a business. Obviously in his case he's found another avenue with the video revenue stream, which is great.

1 question I do have... living in an area where 'mudding' is a common thing, I know what that mess looks like when he sprays it off... I wonder how much of his time investment was spent cleaning that up and I wonder what he did with it. He seems to be working out of his residential driveway and I have to imagine that he didn't shoot that shit down to the street sewer.

I am absolutely sure he washed it into his floor drain and into the sewer. Some people with City sewers could care less.

The_Niddler wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 5:23 pm

ReignOnU wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:04 am

GeorgesGoons wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:10 pm

sixpackdan101 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 12:04 pm George, do you ever watch this channel on YouTube? His videos are always satisfying to watch...

https://youtu.be/qc6fZ_J1vbc

Couldn’t figure out how to embed the video.

I have not. But after watching this, I don't want to work that hard. I want to be less than 10 minutes on a truck like that

I know a few guys that detail and they absolutely enjoy it. I did it in my late teens and it was an ok gig, but couldn't do it long-term. Plus on something like that, it's just not worthwhile as a business. Obviously in his case he's found another avenue with the video revenue stream, which is great.

1 question I do have... living in an area where 'mudding' is a common thing, I know what that mess looks like when he sprays it off... I wonder how much of his time investment was spent cleaning that up and I wonder what he did with it. He seems to be working out of his residential driveway and I have to imagine that he didn't shoot that shit down to the street sewer.

I am absolutely sure he washed it into his floor drain and into the sewer. Some people with City sewers could care less.

I didn't watch the whole video. But the Clean Water Act of 1972 is vague at best and differs state to state. Here in Nebraska the preferred way is to reclaim and then dispose at a water treatment facility (extremely expensive). The next is to wash in the grass or gravel so the waste water goes right into vegetation, if you are on cement you can use a trash pump and direct the water to vegetation. Or you can leave it on the cement and let it dry and evaporate on it's own. That is what the guy in charge of it here in Nebraska told me to do.

For instance, whenever you guys wash your vehicle and let that water go down the road to the sewer you can be fined.

Just made me think of my friend's self-wash place here in town. It reached a point that he had to put up cameras and post specific signage to try to limit how much shit was being left behind/clogging up stuff.

Today was a pain in the dick!

Wife's brother had a bunch of mold on the north side of their house. Told him I could come out and clean it no problem. Little did I know that not only was there mold but dirt and concrete ash as well (they live near a concrete ash plant). The mold/algae was easy to get rid of but the dirt and ash not so much. You aren't supposed to use any pressure to clean aluminum siding so I stuck with my chems and let them do the work. Still gotta go back and clean the dirt and ash before I can say I am happy.

The algae is gone and she was happy with that.

It's been 2 months since I've gotten out there to wash trucks. Got a new customer and I went out yesterday to wash. They had 6 semi tractors and seventeen 53' trailers. Their water didn't work so we had to hook up to their water heater to get water. I finished 5 trucks, other one was brand new so it didn't need washed, and then filled my tank to wash some trailers. Was able to get 5 done before running out of water and we called it a day.

This trailer hit some of that spray on grass is what it looked like and it was all over the side. The pictures really don't do it justice as it looked much darker than the photos. After we got done cleaning that up we used some aluminum brightener to bring the rails back from the dead.

New Hydro-Chem 2-Step gun in action. This game changer now applies soap at ~1500 psi instead of the 100 psi I was using. The Pressure Is On is not just a name anymore, that is how we apply our soaps.

you take the clear coat off your car with that gun?

plasma1896 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 6:38 pm you take the clear coat off your car with that gun?

not at all. I'd need more than 4000 psi to do that and with some good chems I could. My degreaser at 100% strength could strip paint off a vehicle. I dilute it to 10-15% when I use it.

good stuff. you offer curbside car wash?

plasma1896 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 7:22 pm good stuff. you offer curbside car wash?

I'm actually thinking about going to truck stops and renting a space to clean. Maybe offer $100 for the first time and then see where it goes from there, I'd pay good money if I was making good money. Hell 5 tractors and 5 trailers would make me $600 before soap and space rental Costa. But soap cost would be under $20 for the combo of 5 trucks/trailers.

And doing that 10 piece combo could be done in 3 hours

You look different in that video George!

Being honest... I'm pretty jealous of your gig. I think I have about 3-5yrs left of working for a major corporation, then I may run off and just do something like this. Once we decide on our next home (build v buy) and I have the girls' college stuff in a good place, I'd be just fine taking the salary hit and making the move.

I used to want to own a golf driving range, but I know the financials behind it. I've also looked at a couple of franchise opportunities that have very low staffing requirements. Ultimately, I don't want to work for anyone else and I don't want that many people working for me.