"How much does it cost to wash a truck?" is a fair question with an annoying answer: it depends. But it doesn't depend on mystery. Mobile fleet-washing prices come from a handful of factors, and once you know them you can predict roughly where your quote will land and what you can change to lower it.
This post explains those factors using the formula we use at Stealth Wash Pros. Other companies weigh things differently, but most look at the same inputs. For our current starting prices, see the pricing page. It reads straight from our live rate card, so it's always up to date.
1. Vehicle type and size
Bigger vehicles take longer and use more water and chemical. A pickup, a cargo van, a 26 ft box truck, a sleeper tractor and a 53 ft trailer each have their own base price. Specialty vehicles like vacuum trucks and mixers cost more because of their shape and the kind of dirt they carry.
Most fleets are mixed. A quote lists each vehicle type as its own line: for example, twelve 16 ft box trucks and three day cab tractors.
2. How dirty it gets (the service level)
The same truck can need very different washes. We group washes into four service levels, and each one multiplies the base price:
- Level 1, dust: light soap and a spot-free rinse. Common for dealer lot inventory.
- Level 2, road film and rain: a touchless two-step (acid presoak, then alkaline soap) and a spot-free rinse. The standard for vans, box trucks and semis.
- Level 3, heavy mud: mud knock-off, degreaser and undercarriage flush. For dump trucks and construction equipment.
- Level 4, concrete: concrete-remover chemical and scraping, done at the plant's washout. For ready-mix trucks, and quoted after a test wash.
A Level 3 wash costs noticeably more than a Level 2 wash for the same truck, because it takes more time, water and chemical.
3. Add-ons
Some work isn't needed on every vehicle, so it's priced per vehicle as an add-on. Examples: aluminum brightening for polished wheels and tanks, engine bay cleaning, an undercarriage flush on a lighter wash, and wheel and tire detailing.
4. How many vehicles per visit
Setup time is the same whether we wash three trucks or thirty. Our rate card has volume tiers: once a visit reaches a certain number of vehicles, the whole visit gets a percentage off. Larger visits get a larger discount.
If you have more than one location, ask whether they can be treated as separate stops on one route. It depends on distance and timing.
5. How often
Recurring washes are cheaper per visit than one-time washes. The route is predictable, and vehicles washed regularly are faster to clean. Our biggest frequency discount is for weekly service, with smaller discounts for every two weeks, twice a month and monthly. One-time and every-two-months washes aren't discounted.
Frequency and service level are linked. Stretch the time between washes too far and a Level 2 fleet can start needing more work each visit. We cover this in How often should you wash a fleet vehicle?
6. The minimum per visit
Every visit has fixed costs: driving the rig out, setting up, filling tanks and cleaning up. So there's a minimum charge per visit. A small job that adds up to less than the minimum is billed at the minimum. For small fleets, the easiest way to get value from a visit is to wash all your vehicles at once rather than a few at a time.
7. Travel
We don't charge for travel within 20 miles of our base in Frisco. Beyond that, we add a per-mile fee for the extra miles, charged once per visit. For example, Denton is about 22 miles from Frisco, so Denton quotes include a small travel fee. Because it's per visit and not per vehicle, it matters less the more vehicles you wash.
Putting it together
Here's how a quote comes together, in order:
- For each line: quantity × (base price × service-level factor + add-on price).
- Add up the lines to get the subtotal.
- Apply the volume discount for the total number of vehicles.
- Apply the frequency discount.
- If the result is below the minimum per visit, raise it to the minimum.
- Add the travel fee, if any.
That gives the price per visit. For recurring plans, we also show a monthly estimate (per-visit price × average visits per month).
Every number in that chain is shown on our written quotes, so you can see exactly where the price comes from. You can try the same math yourself with the estimate calculator on our pricing page.
Ways to lower your cost
- Wash more vehicles per visit. This gets you over the minimum and into a higher volume tier.
- Wash more often. A weekly plan gets the biggest discount, and each wash is easier.
- Skip add-ons where they don't matter. Brighten the trucks customers see, not every trailer.
- Share a schedule with nearby locations.
What about the free first wash?
New accounts get their first wash free for up to 5 vehicles. On bigger first visits, the free share is credited against the price. With twice that many vehicles, for example, half of the first visit is free.
Ready for a real number? Request a free quote with your vehicle types, counts and how often you'd like service. See also box truck washing, semi truck and trailer washing and ready-mix truck washing.