To start a fleet washing business you need a truck or trailer, one or two pressure washers, a water tank, a plan for the wash water, insurance, the local licenses, and a few fleets that’ll have you back every week or two. One published estimate for a single equipped rig adds up to $27,300 to $79,000. A franchise costs several times that.
What the business is
You go to the customer’s yard and wash their trucks and trailers where they park. It’s sold per unit on a regular schedule, weekly, every two weeks or monthly. One operator on a trade forum described the pitch that won him two fleets. They save the diesel and the driver time it takes to run each truck to a wash bay.
The hard part is the hours. Trucks are in the yard when they aren’t working, so a lot of washing happens on evenings and weekends. Another operator on the same forum said what makes fleets tough is winter, yards with no water supply, and owners who expect a full detail for the price of a wash.
The rig
Truck or trailer
It has to carry the water. Water weighs 8.34 pounds a gallon, so a 300-gallon tank is 2,500 pounds before you add the machines, hose reels and chemicals. A 500-gallon tank is about 4,170. Size the truck and its brakes for a full tank.
Pressure washers
Fleet washers talk about flow more than pressure. Gallons per minute is what rinses a 53-foot trailer quickly. Rigs sold for fleet work run from about 5.5 to 10 GPM at 3,000 to 3,500 PSI, often with two guns so two people can work at once. One equipment maker suggests about 3,000 PSI at 5 GPM for trucks. Hot water costs more to buy and run, and it cuts grease faster.
Water
A machine uses its full flow for every minute the trigger is pulled. At 4 GPM that’s 240 gallons an hour. What operators report per truck varies a lot. One gets two and a half trucks out of 125 gallons with an 8 GPM machine. Another says a greasy heavy truck takes 200 gallons or more, and calls a 300-gallon tank the minimum. Many yards have a spigot you can fill from, so ask before you plan on hauling everything.
Wash water recovery
In most places you can’t let wash water run into a storm drain. You’ll need drain covers, a way to hold the water in, and a vacuum or pump to pick it up. We cover the rules in where wash water can legally go. Sort this out before you buy the rig, because it changes what you buy.
Chemicals
A lot of fleet washing is done with a two-step process, an acid and then an alkaline soap, so the crew doesn’t have to brush every unit. Some of those acids are dangerous. Read how two-step washing works before you order a drum.
What it costs to start
ZenBusiness publishes a startup estimate for a fleet cleaning business, updated in August 2026. It’s a vendor’s estimate and it doesn’t give a source for each line, so use it as a rough frame.
| Item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Heavy-duty truck or van | $15,000–$45,000 |
| Commercial pressure washer system | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Water reclamation and filtration unit | $4,000–$12,000 |
| Water tanks, supply and recovery | $1,000–$3,000 |
| Hoses, reels and brushes | $1,500–$3,500 |
| Chemicals and detergents | $500–$1,500 |
| Liability and vehicle insurance | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Permits and environmental licensing | $300–$1,000 |
| Total (our addition) | $27,300–$79,000 |
That’s one truck with one machine. Two hot water machines on a trailer will run past the pressure washer line. At the far end, the Fleet Clean franchise’s estimate to open a location has been reported at $188,000 to $459,000, which includes vehicles and about three months of operating money.
Insurance
Three policies come up for any wash company with a truck and a crew.
- General liability. Damage and injuries to other people. Insureon says its pressure washing customers pay $73 a month on average.
- Commercial auto. The truck on the road. Insureon’s average is $262 a month.
- Workers’ comp. Most states require it once you have employees. Insureon’s average is $147 a month.
Those averages cover pressure washing businesses of every kind, so don’t budget from them without a quote of your own. Ask one question before you sign. Many general liability policies exclude property in your care, custody or control, and a customer’s truck you’re washing can fall under that. Get the agent to say in writing how the policy treats customers’ vehicles, and whether you need an endorsement or garagekeepers coverage. Expect fleet customers to ask for a certificate of insurance.
Licenses and permits
- A business license from the city or county.
- A sales tax permit if your state taxes cleaning services. Some do and some don’t.
- Wastewater permission from the sewer utility or stormwater agency where you wash.
- A USDOT number if the rig is heavy enough. The federal line for interstate work is a gross weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, truck and trailer together, and many states use the same line for work inside the state. A one-ton truck pulling a trailer with a full tank gets there fast.
- An LLC or other entity. State filing fees run about $50 to $500.
Getting the first accounts
Fleet work comes from asking for it. Find whoever runs the fleet or the shop, then show up, call or write. Lead with what they save by not sending trucks out to be washed, and offer a regular day.
Start close to home. Ten fleets spread over three counties will eat your nights in drive time, and route density decides more of your profit than most new owners expect. Once you’re calling on fleets, being easy to find on Google helps the next fleet manager check you out.
What can it make?
The same ZenBusiness guide puts a fleet client at $500 to $3,000 a month and average revenue at $80,000 to $400,000 a year. Those are a vendor’s ranges, and how wide they are tells you how much depends on the accounts you land. Your price should come from your own costs. We walk through that in how to price fleet washing per unit, and what fleet washing costs shows what operators publish now.
Track units from day one
Write down which unit numbers you washed at every stop, every time. The invoice is built from that list. It’s your answer when a fleet manager asks whether truck 214 got done. And it’s where your minutes per unit come from when it’s time to reprice.
Common questions
How much does it cost to start a fleet washing business?
One published estimate for a single equipped truck adds up to $27,300 to $79,000. That covers the vehicle, the pressure washer, water reclaim, tanks, hoses, chemicals, insurance and permits. A franchise location has been reported at $188,000 to $459,000.
What equipment do you need for fleet washing?
A truck or trailer that can carry the water, a pressure washer (fleet rigs commonly run 5.5 to 10 GPM at 3,000 to 3,500 PSI, often with hot water), a tank of 300 gallons or more unless your yards have water, hoses and guns, chemicals, and gear to contain and pick up the wash water.
Do you need a license to wash fleets?
Usually a local business license, a sales tax permit in states that tax cleaning services, and permission from the sewer utility or stormwater agency for the wash water. A heavy rig may also need a USDOT number.
How The Wash Book does it
Unit tracking in The Wash Book is free. You get your yards, their unit lists and the screen the crew logs washes on. Start free, or book a demo and we’ll show you the rest.
Sources
- ZenBusiness, How to Start a Fleet Cleaning Business (updated August 2026)
- Insureon, Pressure Washing Business Insurance (average premiums)
- SharpSheets, Fleet Clean USA Franchise FDD, Profits & Costs
- FMCSA, Do I Need a USDOT Number?
- Pressure Washing Resource forum, Is fleet washing a tough market? (2013–2014)
- Pressure Washing Resource forum, the perfect size of tank for a fleet washing business (2017–2019)
- 3R Pressure Washers, fleet washing trailer and truck packages (equipment listings)
- Daimer, Truck Washing Equipment