[makos1610]

Hey guys i have a customer that owns a truck company and he wants me to detail all his dump trucks. I've been working on cars, suvs and mini vans but never on a semi trucks. I need advices what equipment to use and what products to use. I don't know yet if he wants full detail with polishing or just washing and interior detail. How much should i charge for one truck?? What to use to clean the old cement on the trailer??

[yukonon22]

Nica works on Fire Trucks. Might be a good choice to ask his advice.

[bigpoppa]

I've done a few semi trucks. As long as you are just doing the cab (and it isn't a sleeper) it isn't *too* hard. This one guy wanted me to do a sleeper cab plus the long ass trailer that it was towing, I gave him a look like "...you're shitting me...", the conversation never got beyond that (LOL).

Definitely charge by the hour, and make sure you have ladders, etc.

For the exterior, I would wash, get the bugs and tar off, and go with a solid one step product (HT-69 "Paint Perfection" is an excellent candidate). Polish all aluminum and metals, clean rims, I'll be honest on the trucks I did I never dressed the tires (just cleaned them). The interiors suck, it is a pain to get up in them and the floor (or anything for that matter) never gets completely clean.

It is not fun work, I will honestly probably never do it again unless I am in desperate need of some $$. It isn't really "detailing", more like cleaning. Good luck.

[makos1610]

do you think that $40/hour would be a good rate for this kind of job?? How about removing cement from the trailer??

[bigpoppa]

$40 an hour is fine, I dunno about the cement, never had to deal with that.

[bryansbestwax]

Buy a flagged brush that fits on a painters style extension pole. And then get the pole, Home Depot carries them. Best of luck

[slanguage]

This might work for cement removal. Haven't tried it so I don't know anything about it.

Cement Remover

[Grey Ghost]

Originally Posted by slanguage

This might work for cement removal. Haven't tried it so I don't know anything about it.

Cement Remover

that product maybe helpful to some of the construction companies around my area... lots of houses going up.... lots of trucks with cement splattered on them

[911Fanatic]

My advice to you is to RUN!! I used to do tractor-trailer cleaning. I had a proper hot water system set up in a cube van etc. It is really crappy, dirty work. Chances are you WON'T be working on a paved parking lot so you're stuff is going to get dirty plus there is the added bonus of cleaning grease off your hoses etc. Now that's alot of fun. Its up to you but I've done it and my recommendation is to stick with cars and trucks.

[bigpoppa]

Originally Posted by 911Fanatic

My advice to you is to RUN!! I used to do tractor-trailer cleaning. I had a proper hot water system set up in a cube van etc. It is really crappy, dirty work. Chances are you WON'T be working on a paved parking lot so you're stuff is going to get dirty plus there is the added bonus of cleaning grease off your hoses etc. Now that's alot of fun. Its up to you but I've done it and my recommendation is to stick with cars and trucks.

+1, I forgot about that. You will likely be working on gravel or dirt, so all of you stuff will get dirty, imagine what will happen if it rains the night before you go to do them.

Once you do your first truck and see what the experience is like, you will likely just say "screw this", I would just stick to cars and trucks too.