What is actually on the site: water, drainage and power
Ask the fleet owner, in writing, what utilities are available at the cleaning location. A depot in an industrial estate may offer a tap and a drain; a terminal in a city centre may offer neither at the parking bays. Confirm the water source, whether a three-phase or single-phase supply is available, and whether wastewater can be discharged legally on that site. These constraints decide whether the work needs a mobile steam cleaning machine that carries or heats its own water, or a fixed unit plumbed into the yard.
What are the vehicles, and what is on them
A bus fleet, a refrigerated delivery fleet and a construction or farm-transport fleet are not the same cleaning job. Ask what vehicle types and sizes are involved, how high the roofs and chassis sit, whether engine bays are part of the scope, and what kind of soiling is typical: road film, food residue, mud, lubricating grease or a mixture. Light road grime can be handled differently from hardened grease around wheels, chassis rails and drivetrain components. Heavy grease is where hot water and high-pressure steam cleaning earn their keep, because heat loosens the deposit so less mechanical scrubbing and fewer chemicals are needed.
How much time and how many vehicles per shift
Ask for the fleet count, the cleaning frequency, and the window the client allows. A fleet cleaned overnight between shifts has a very different requirement from one washed during the working day. Time per vehicle sets crew size and equipment capacity: one operator with a hand-pushed unit will not clear forty buses in three hours, while a fixed steam cleaning machine such as the 220V PowerDe HW02 — 6 kW heating power, 160°C steam temperature, 0.8 MPa vapour pressure and an 80-litre stainless tank — is built to keep an operator working continuously at a station with a tap-water inlet, instead of stopping to refill small tanks. Get the numbers in writing before pricing, otherwise the quote covers a job nobody specified.
Which standards does the client have to meet
Fleets in food distribution, feed and livestock transport, healthcare logistics and waste handling usually carry hygiene obligations that the cleaning must support. Ask which standards, audits or inspection routines the client is subject to, and who signs off the work. If the answer is a hygiene audit, the provider needs cleaning that reaches the surfaces an inspector looks at — load compartments, door seals, wheel arches, chassis — and records that show the work was done. Where chemicals are restricted, high-temperature steam is worth proposing on its own merits: it reduces dependence on chemical detergents and uses far less water than a hose.
Where can the work actually be carried out
Ask whether cleaning happens in the open, in a bay, or in an enclosed indoor garage. Low ceilings, narrow parking spaces and shared yards rule out some equipment and favour compact mobile units, such as the driving-style PowerDe PWD01 and PWD02 active-water machines with dry-steam, wet-steam and hot-water modes, which are intended for indoor garages and tight outdoor parking areas. Also ask about access permissions, working hours, insurance requirements and whether the client's staff expect the provider to work around vehicle movements.
How will the work be priced and inspected
Before signing, agree the unit of pricing (per vehicle, per shift, per month), what is included in the base price and what is charged extra — engine bays, interior disinfection, degreasing of chassis, weekend shifts. Then agree the inspection method: a checklist, photographic evidence, a named client signatory and a defect re-work window. Providers who skip this conversation win the tender cheaply and lose the account on the invoice.
A short pre-visit checklist
- Water source, drainage route and power supply at the exact cleaning location
- Vehicle types, sizes, counts and typical soiling, including whether engine bays are in scope
- Cleaning frequency, turnaround window and vehicles per shift
- Hygiene standards, audits and who signs the work off
- Site layout, ceiling height, access permissions and working hours
- Pricing unit, extras, and the inspection and re-work process
These answers let a provider choose the right machine and crew, and quote a price they can actually deliver. They also tell you when an off-the-shelf unit is not enough: if a fleet's vehicles, soiling or site conditions are outside normal ranges, customised steam cleaning equipment matched to the yard and the vehicles is usually cheaper over a contract year than a machine that spends half the shift idle or underpowered.
PowerDe is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of intelligent cleaning equipment. Talk to our engineers about your fleet, site and cleaning standards at Contact, or browse the Cleaning Equipment Series.
