Just wondering how many of you have employees...I am trying to prepare for hiring now but have some questions of the people who have employees :

1. Do you have a boxvan or a trailer for your rig and equipment?

2. Does the employee take either setup to his home after work or to your shop....does anyone have a shop or do you still work from home?

3. Does the employee pay for gasing up the vehicle if it is a box van setup or do you ....if you are paying for gas by a gas card do you have a limit on spending per month ...how do you control that?

Just a few questions for now,if they would be easier to answer by a phone call please email me your phone number and I can call direct.


Tom Wiedeman
Premier Power Washing
303-667-2506

Tom,

I can't answer most of your questions, because I am wearing the same shoes you are....considering hiring.

I will tackle #1 though. I think a trailer is the way to go. You can leave it at a job with the employee(s) and then take the truck to go somewhere else.....estimate or whatever. Also, if your truck breaks down, you can rent or borrow another truck to pull your trailer. That way, you can still do your work. You can't have employees work if your truck (with equipment on it) is sitting in the shop!

Last year, my van was in the shop, so I went to Uhaul and rented a pickup.....they have trailer hitches. So, for the $49 it cost me to rent the truck, I was able to go out and make over $500 all while my truck was in the shop.

Best of luck with the hiring.



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Mike Hughes
Everclear
Souderton, PA

If the employees are going to be driving the rquipment, go with a box van. It is easier to maneuver, so there is less chance of accidents.
My guy's do not take a truck home under any circumstances, except emergency.
I pay for all fuel. It is my company, I make the profits, I pay the expenses of doing business. I give the guy's cash if they need fuel. I am toying with the idea of a credit card, with enough limit for two months of fuel, but, I have not gotten there yet.

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Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?

Just a guy driving around trying to make a living washing trucks, Wouldn't know a deck if it bit me in the hind quarters,

Bus. Phone 480-834-3434
Cell Phone 602-509-9741

Hello Tom,

Yes we have employees.

1. Our equipment is mounted in 2-1/2 ton trucks.

2. Employees never take equipment home. Yes we have a shop where we store all of our equipment and supplies.

3. We still pay cash for all motor fuel. I am considering getting a fuel card good for many different stations. We have a 500 gallon tank set for our Premier Fuel (kerosene). We self fill at our local LP distributor for our propane fuel. One of our units operates on LP the other on kerosene. Both truck chassis run on gasoline.

Dave Olson

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Tidy Powerwash Service, Inc. P.O. Box 781, Catlin, Illinois 61817 Phone 217-427-5557, Fax 217-427-2632 We are a commercial cleaning contractor serving East-Central Illinois and West Central Indiana since 1984. http://www.tps-inc.com

I am thinking about hiring also. If you let someone drive or pull the equipment home and run one of "your" units theirself you should make out a contract explaining what you expect and what they are liable for. Trailer would be best way instead of a truck if someone else were involved in my opinion.

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John May