Not long ago, I was talking to the owner operator of a new automated truck wash. It's an incredible facility, with state-of-the-art equipment. He was rather excited because his business is doing well and because he sold some of his first fleet accounts. The customers are quite satisfied and happy, and that is a good thing because typically in the automated truck cleaning business, independent truck drivers with their own rigs have been very slow to migrate to this new way of washing. Okay so, let's talk about this for second because something came to my mind when he mentioned all this.
You see, let's say that you sell 20 or 30 fleet accounts, and that means the major trucking companies on their routes which go near your truck wash, and a large company fleets in the nearby industrial areas are bringing their trucks through your wash. Some of them may have even paid in advance to have their fleets cleaned. Now then, if you know anything about Murphy's Law, you realize that something will break at the most inopportune time. Well, what happens if all your fleet customers want to get their trucks washed, and the mechanism breaks, and your truck wash is down waiting for parts for a week?
Does that mean you have to refund their money? They might ask you, and don't say, "no" because that's the kiss of death for customer service. You hear what I'm saying? Now then, I have two potential solutions to this. One is that you get one of those inexpensive European truck wash systems, one that doesn't work that well, but it nevertheless does work, and mount it to the side of your building where the truck can be washed, and drive over a drain with a clarifier underneath Regarding this, here is more info about both CDL and non CDL trucks..
Hopefully you'll never need to use it, but it will be there in case your great big state-of-the-art system breaks down.And remember what Murphy also said, "the more complex a system is, the more chances are that it will break." I believe that to also be a fact, and perhaps that's why they do call it; Murphy's Law.
Now then a second strategy would be to go find a mobile fleet washing company somewhere in the area, someone who would be willing to be on call and come out whenever your system breaks, and clean the trucks on the outside of the building for a fair price, knowing he will get a large number of vehicles to wash while he is there.
Basically you're paying for him to be on call, and as a favor, you will also refer any customers that you try to sell fleet accounts with, who are unwilling to pay the price or are too far away to warrant the drivers coming by to get those trucks cleaned, but would rather pay someone quite a bit less money, which the mobile operator might be able to do. This provided that he has a reclaim devise, and won't give you a bad name for referring him. Please consider all this and think on it.