Truck wash survey

Every time i go to any truck wash they all do a piss poor job. i would rather spend 2 hours away from the tv on the weekend and get it done right. the minimum wage sheeple at the truck washes just dont care enough to do it right. for minimum wage why should they care anyhow.

on a scale of 1-5 i would say zero, but thats just 2 cents coming from a penny pinching, picky perfectionist.

 

may i suggest a kosher tank wash in 1 bay as well to increase revenue? that i would use if needed because it is "needed"

 

i drop in cheyyene cant say ive ever picked anything up there i deadhead to the meat places after i leave there and usually pass a beacon along the way.

 

My experience with touchless washes is the grime has to be "new" and not be "set in" at all or it's not coming off without some means of physical "scrubbing". If the set in grime can be removed only with high pressure water then I'd be concerned about what the chemicals used are doing to the paint finish. There are too many nooks and crannies, especially on the hooded trucks where it will take a lot of convincing before I'll have much faith in a touchless system to get off all of the accumulated grime and road spray that is really set in.

 

Touchless would have to be very strong chemicals to get it clean.
After using Blue Beacon for a couple years my paint has faded from the harsh chemicals.
I found a nice soft brush and good soap does a much better job and takes about an hour of my weekend.

Unless i need a trailer wash i do not use any of the truck washes on the road.

 

... But on the other hand, I'm fully aware of what using a dirty brush with sand in it to scrub the truck and what that does to a finish. Chemicals are hard on everything and does not discriminate, including the aluminum, at least with a bucket and hand brushes you can try and insure they keep the water refreshed and keep the brushes replaced as needed and only use quality brushes.

Problem is many use harsh chemicals in excessive concentrations AND poor brush heads rinsed in dirty water so you get your truck finish deteriorated in double time.

 

These suck! They leave lots of dirt behind we have one on our yard I won't use it anymore hand wash better!

 

Large carriers need a cost effective and quick way to wash their van/reefer trailers and this can be an automated roller system and should avoid the tractor altogether to prevent damage. Washing trailer exteriors and washing tractors is 2 completely different processes, and what works for one is is not cost effective for the other.

Many large carriers have "wash bays" at a handful of locations that are intended to keep the trailers somewhat clean and some of them work but most don't. Those that simply "spray" water at the sides of the trailer aren't worth the water costs let alone the construction, equipment, maintenance, and permitting costs.

While a automated trailer wash marketed to all of the larger van and reefer carriers and placed along major routes may be a profitable idea if properly sold and operated, if the lines become routinely long they will have to pay drivers too much to otherwise waste their time but eventually the system will reach an equilibrium once allowance limits are set by the larger carriers to insure some drivers don't abuse the service. But an automated system will have to have 24/7 personnel on duty to watch for breakdowns and insure some idiot doesn't tear out the equipment as he's entering or exiting.

I know it may seem counter-intuitive to offer an exclusive trailer wash system and not do tractor washes but how many times do you see a filthy trailer being towed by a a clean truck? But the biggest problem is going to be selling the service to large carriers who are in many cases actually suspending reimbursement of truck washes to drivers in an attempt to save money. They had rather see their filthy equipment going down the nations highways as to spend $130 month per each power unit for washes. And most drivers will refuse to spend money out of their pocket to keep salt and grime off of someone else's equipment. Me personally, I will meet a carrier half way with costs and expect a reasonably clean tractor and trailer most of the time, but that's as far as I'll go. If they refuse to cover any costs, so do I.

 

My problem with any truck wash is the rinse. Because many times the water us recycled the soap and chemicals dont come off completely, not to mention streaks. Touchless doesnt really work on cars let alone a truck.