Many people want to build a truck wash and then start making a business plan. They go to see a truck wash and then think to themselves, well, I can build something like that cheap enough. Get a building stolen, put in some concrete, buy some equipment and all of a sudden I’m in business, right? Sure, in theory.
How much does it cost to build a truck wash? Well down and dirty somewhere between $225K to $400K not including property. I’ve seen them make them cheaper, but generally when completed they come out a lot more. And once you build a truck wash, you’ll want to make sure it’s generating money to pay off all those loans and the ROI of the property as well. But what about the cost of truck wash services? Well, consider an average ticket of $28.50 to $35.00. Now, most truck washes fetch a good $45 to $55 for a tractor-trailer rig, but due to some local fleet deals, some full-priced bobtails and combos, the average is generally lower. As the founder of Truck Wash Guys, I am often asked questions about the industry by new entrants to the market, for example this recent question;
“The truck wash model looks very compelling. Do you have any general rules about what I should expect to pay to build one, what average ticket I might look for, and how much I can expect to drop in the bottom line?”
The answer is that these costs vary by region and it is not such a simple answer. Though I hope you learned a bit from today’s discussions. I certainly hope this article was of interest and thought provoking. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. Thank you for reading my many articles on various topics that interest you.
