Any Money in Detailing Semi Trucks?

S

snosh

New member
My partner & I were approached with an opportunity to get a contract with a semi truck company, but neither one of us has ever detailed one before. I've been detailing vehicles for about 3 years and my partner has been for 6 years we're both have been to a ton of meguiars and carbright training classes we both can perform paint correction but were not sure if its worth the time and effort to detail a semi truck.



I've been searching all over the internet but everything I've read was just someone only doing one and just asking for tips n how to do it. So We were wondering if we should consider doing this or not. Is there any money in it & is it worth the time & effort to do it?



Thanks for your reply's.
 
I guess that really depends on what type of "detailing" they want done to it, and what they are willing to pay. Are you going to charge by the hour or by the job? How often will the trucks be done?



Sounds like you need to cover a lot more details before making a decision.
 
I know that there is a lot of questions that need to be answered so my question can properly answered. I was just referring to in general is it worth the money everything i've read says its a lot of work polishing all the metal, degreasing, covering filters and stacks using ladders etc.



Lets just for now that its a complete detail wash, degrease, wax, all chrome/ss polished, interior detail, etc. I am charging an hourly rate and I get 2 trucks once a week.



What would you charge to do something like this?
 
PM, me, I will try to give you a start point, have some experience in the work, but it would take to long at this point to go further.

I need more information.
 
The biggest thing you could offer to these guys is a Paint Coating. I've been hearing lots of talk from a few people that they are hitting home runs coating Heavy Equipment. One guy offered to coat one of their trucks for free if they would consider coating their whole fleet if they were happy. Turns out.....they were floored by it.
 
For a short time I operated a mobile truck wash. It was A LOT of work but some of the owner/operator truckers are willing to spend mucho denaro to keep their rigs looking good. Day cabs wont be all that much work, but when you get into dumps and highway trucks you will be looking at a lot of time/work. If the tanks/wheels are polished you have to be real careful with the cleaners/degreasers you use...nothing acidic for sure.



In my area a basic truck wash is $50 and takes about 30 minutes for a dirty highway truck that travels through rain, snow, etc. Chemical cost is maybe $5 but you have to invest probably 15k in equipment to be able to work efficiently. Interior detailing and any exterior polishing, etc is billed out between $40 and $60 an hour in my area and if you get in with the right companies there is a lot of work...especially on interiors. Interior work can be done using the same stuff you would use on cars.
 
Wash_Me said:
I would say haft my business is simi trucks, nice thing is it can be year round work.
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How would you classify your semi-truck owners in regards to their desire to maintain their vehicles to high standards? Are some OCD like car owners or do they just want clean & shiny?
 
David Fermani said:
How would you classify your semi-truck owners in regards to their desire to maintain their vehicles to high standards? Are some OCD like car owners or do they just want clean & shiny?
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I mostly do work at dealership they want the trucks sell able not really detail, so no waxing just get the trucks clean to sell. Most trucks I do are trash truck drivers careless because its not there truck but there's few that own there trucks that are very OCD about there trucks.
 
Gotcha. I've seen a bunch of nice, clean looking rigs, just assumed that they were self owned (not fleet) and the owner took care of it himself. Make sense with dealer work though. Get em cleaned up and ready for sale.
 
Some day I'm going to learn to polish aluminum tanks and wheels. When I was offering truck washing I got tonnes of requests to polish up wheels and stuff but I didnt have the know-how. In my area there is only 1 guy I know of offering this service and he charges over $65 an hour for metal polishing. There can be good money to be made working with owner/operators if you have the tools and skills.
 
JPostal said:
Some day I'm going to learn to polish aluminum tanks and wheels. When I was offering truck washing I got tonnes of requests to polish up wheels and stuff but I didnt have the know-how. In my area there is only 1 guy I know of offering this service and he charges over $65 an hour for metal polishing. There can be good money to be made working with owner/operators if you have the tools and skills.
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Polishing aluminum does pay well but not good for your health, there's a lady that does it in my town and she looks like 90 years old.
 
Always wear a quality particle mask when buffing aluminum, due to the powder generated by the stick rouges and the minute aluminum particles that come off in the process.

And, if using the HF acid to acidize, as one should, be sure to wear a quality repirator when applying it, chemical proof rubber gloves, good high top rubber boots and a face shield.

Never breath it's fumes and never let it come in contact with skin tissue.
 
I forgot how brutal polishing a semi truck is. Had one in yesterday being prepped for a custom wrap and it was hammered white single stage...probably the least satisfying job I've done in a while. Fortunately I only had to do half the truck and none of the real high stuff. I guess if you had 3 days and a big budget it could be fun.

 
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