In the past one of the issues with automatic drive thru truck washes was that well, they did not work as well as one might think. There were and still are some issues with their ability to get the Trucks perfectly clean, which is the main objective. Sure they knock off most of the dirt and it is good enough for government work as they say, but for an independent truck driver with chrome and polished aluminum they leave a lot to be desired indeed.

Our company; The Truck Wash Guys in the past have forgone the automated truck washes as a major strategy. It is due to this reason of performance to adequately clean the trucks to perfection or near perfection that we had shied away from the concept of "Unmanned Truck Washes" the current technology is not quite there yet. Almost however, perhaps this year in fact we will have it. The Robotics of the future will make it so, very soon. And there is good reason for this as the labor cost increases and the quality of the workforce and work ethic are a critical component of the success of a truck washing business. And it appears it will be getting worse. For instance;

http://ezinearticles.com/?Hispanic-Labor-Supply-and-DHS-Issues-With-the-Truck-Wash-Industry&id=125833

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?s=b9e476fde6a53db6eab7ac06c1bf4c0a&showtopic=1376&st=0&#entry3514

The Robotics of Truck Washing business are helping operators with the changing landscape of over regulation, labor law, health care costs and the cost of the labor itself, as well as the dummying down of society and the ability or work ethic of the labor to perform the tasks need to insure a quality wash. So think on this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/