Two for One

A pressure-washing company in Massachusetts opts for cargo trucks that each carry a large water tank and a pair of hot-water washers

An old adage says two heads are better than one. Sean Coakley, president of Atlantic Power Cleaning in Woburn, Mass., believes the same is true for power washers.

That’s why his firm has phased out cargo vans for seven sleek Mitsubishi Fuso trucks in the last seven years. Outfitted with spacious 16-foot box cargo bodies made by Morgan Corp., each truck carries two power washers instead of just one.

Each truck carries two customized hot-water pressure washers, most made by Hotsy Inc. and delivering 5 gpm at 3,200 psi. Atlantic Power special orders the machines without any extras. Stripped down to their essentials, they weigh less, and that increases fuel economy, Coakley says.

Each truck also carries a 525-gallon plastic water tank, which ensures that technicians aren’t left high and dry if a jobsite has no water available. “Carrying your own water is more and more of an issue because of rising costs,” Coakley says. “It’s a huge advantage to carry water as well as two washers. If one machine goes down, we have a backup right there. And we can get through a job quicker with two washers.”

Separate and safer

“We’re substantially more productive with these trucks,” Coakley says. “We’d never go back to cargo vans. With the vans, our drivers sat inside in the same space with all the smelly detergents and pressure washers. Now they’re in a cab separated from the cargo area, which is a lot safer.”

Coakley also wanted trucks that provide plenty of comfort. The company’s main service area is a 60-mile radius around Boston, but occasionally crews travel up to 120 miles. So the trucks have comfortable seats, air conditioning and high-end stereo. “It helps to have a more luxurious interior,” Coakley says. “We really took driver fatigue into account. My guys don’t feel at all like they’re driving down the road in a box truck.”

The trucks also help bring in business. Coakley invested in eye-catching reflective vinyl lettering and graphics. It’s a much simpler design than the old trucks’ advertising, which included a long list of company services like surface cleaning and decontamination work.

Higher visibility

“We simplified the look, just as we simplified the pressure washers to make them lighter,” Coakley says. “It makes the image on the truck that much cleaner. ‘Power’ is a powerful word.”

The reflective vinyl letters cost about triple the price of standardletters, but Coakley says they pay for themselves in visibility, which is important because crews often work at night.

“The reflective letters make it safer for our crews to work, plus they really wake up people who are driving by,” he says. “If we’re working at 2:30 a.m., the name and logo just explode whenever light hits them. It’s so bright, just like a reflective vest. The same is true on cloudy or snowy days.”

Atlantic Power monitors where job leads originate, and the trucks generate a fair amount of work. “It’s a great form of advertising for us,” Coakley says. “People always say they saw the trucks out on a job.” Increased visibility and safety – further proof that good things come in pairs.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.