Free Truck Washing – What Does It Really Cost?

A new fleet manager called us when he realized his "free" truck washing was costing him way too much money.

Truck washing for the Colorado National Guard

Many fleets lease their trucks from companies like Ryder, Penske, Paclease, Nationalease, and others. While there are different ways the lease can be structured, they usually include maintenance. And part of the maintenance cost is washing the trucks.

The truck washing is often at the leasing company's location, especially if they provide a fuel station. The drivers can wash their trucks for free when they come in for fuel.

The fleet manager who called us had a lease arrangement for his drivers to take their trucks to a local truck wash to be cleaned. Unfortunately, it was taking them an average of two hours and ten minutes to get the truck washed.

Truck washing for Waste Management

So when you add up the cost of paying the driver and the fuel to get there, that "free" wash probably costs $30 dollars or more. And that doesn't include the additional charge for truck washing - at least another $30 - that has been included in the lease payments. The leasing company has to be covering their cost somewhere.

We can probably save this company more than 50% of what they're currently paying for truck washing services. The difference comes from how the work is done.

Instead of driving to the truck wash and waiting in line to get in, our crews wash at their location. When they arrive and set up, they wash all the trucks at once instead of one at a time. It is far more efficient to do it this way - you just keep moving from truck to truck.

So if you run the numbers, you may find there's a better way to get your trucks cleaned. If you would like to compare your cost for truck washing, give us a call.