Fleet washing is what we do most. Every week our three wash trucks run routes from the Twin Ports up the North Shore, across the Iron Range and down I-35, washing more than 10,000 units a year for 120-plus fleets. Most of those customers never call us: their yard is on a route, the crew turns up on the same day each cycle, and the invoice arrives on Friday.
What a fleet wash includes
- A two-step, brushless exterior wash. An acidic pre-soak lifts road film, brine and the grey haze off aluminum; an alkaline soap neutralises it and lifts the grime; hot, high-pressure water rinses it all off. No brushes, so no swirl marks on paint or lifted edges on decals. How the two-step works.
- Cab, body, trailer, tanks, wheels and mudflaps. Front to back, top to bottom, including the roof on day cabs and straight trucks where we can reach it safely.
- Our own water, heated on board. Each truck carries its supply and heats it. Yards with no hydrant, no hose bib or frozen spigots in January are fine.
- Every unit logged from the stop. The crew log each unit number and time on their phone as they go. If you ever want to know what was washed on a given night, we can tell you.
Units we wash on fleet routes
- Tractors: day cabs and sleepers
- Dry van, reefer and flatbed trailers
- Straight trucks and box trucks
- Cargo vans and sprinters
- Delivery and step vans
- Pickups and service trucks
- Refuse packers, roll-offs and front loaders
- Tankers: fuel, propane, bulk and milk
- Dump trucks and plow trucks
- School buses and coaches
- Bucket trucks and utility bodies
- Yard tractors and shunt trucks
A tractor-trailer counts as two units; a straight truck is one. That is how we quote and how we log, so the invoice matches the yard.
Frequency: weekly, biweekly or monthly
Most Northland fleets run weekly in winter and every two weeks the rest of the year. Brine season is the difference: between November and April the film that builds on a trailer in a week would take a month in July. We will recommend a cycle for your fleet, and you can change it any time; the route adjusts the following week. How often should a fleet be washed?
How fleet washing is priced
Per unit, by unit type, by frequency. A tractor is one price, a 53-foot trailer another, a straight truck another, and a unit on a weekly route costs less per wash than one we see once a month. You are only billed for units that were actually in the yard and washed, which is why the crew log each one. Add-ons such as undercarriage washing, aluminum brightening and washouts are priced per unit on top. There is no contract term; routes run until you tell us to stop. What fleet washing costs, with real ranges.
Nights, weekends and around dispatch
Trucks earn money when they are on the road, so we wash when they are in. Many of our routes run evenings and overnight, and Saturday is a normal working day for us. Tell us when the yard is full and we will fit the route to it. Access notes, gate codes, skip rules and which units are excluded live on your yard's sheet in our system, so a new crew member gets it right the first night.
Site rules we already work with
- Aluminum-safe chemistry only on polished fleets
- Water reclaim where the site or the permit requires it
- No chemicals inside buildings; lift gates up before anything moves
- Only listed units, or everything in the yard, your choice
- Lock the gate on the way out
Questions about fleet washing
Do you need water or power at my yard?
No. Every wash truck carries its own water and heats it with an on-board burner, and the pressure washers run on their own engines. We can wash in a gravel lot with nothing but trucks in it.
Can you wash in winter?
Yes, winter is our busiest season. Hot water and a two-step wash cut through brine film that cold water will not touch. On the coldest nights we watch for freeze-up on steps and door seals and adjust how we rinse.
Will the wash damage decals, paint or polished aluminum?
The wash is brushless, which is the main cause of decal edges lifting and swirl marks on dark paint. On polished aluminum we use aluminum-safe chemistry when you ask for it; the standard two-step is what brightens the aluminum in the first place.
What if a truck is out when you come?
It is not billed. The crew log the units they wash; the invoice is built from the log. If you want a unit that was out caught on the next visit, tell us or note it on the yard sheet.
How quickly can you start?
Usually within a week of the quote. We walk the yard, agree the unit list and the cycle, and put the yard on the route that already passes nearest to it.