Truck Wash Technologies Inc. - Automated Commercial Truck Washing

Truck Wash Technologies has developed a complete turnkey equipment package including a water management system and point of sale system. The design criterion was based on a set of factors, which effect cleaning and the need to adapt to the varying size and shapes of today's large vehicles. These products have all been implemented into the prototype facility currently operating in Europe . The following provides a general summary of some key equipment features.

Low-pressure application system
Chemical application system
High-pressure application system
Trailer brush system
Fresh water management system
Recycled water management system
Wash system controls
Point of sale system

Low-pressure application system - is comprised of a standardized self-contained unit for systematically applying chemical and rinse in the vehicle wash process. A single unit can apply sprays to the front, side, and top and back of the vehicle. Each spray is independently controlled to allow the sprays to adapt to the size (height) and shapes of the vehicle to minimize the usage of water yet maximize spray coverage.

Chemical application system - is designed to deliver chemical to the point of use. The application allows for different chemicals to be used at varying concentrations. The concentrations and type of the chemicals can be custom selected during the wash transaction for every vehicle and this concentration is then set automatically for each vehicle as it enters the chemical application process. The chemical is a consumable in the wash service and this system minimizes chemical use yet maximizes cleaning ability.

High-pressure application system - is comprised of standardized self-contained modular units that systematically apply the high-pressure/flow of water in the wash process. The modular design allows for optimizing or easily adding hardware if needed to meet the needs of a specific type of customer. The spray delivery system insures that the front, side, top and back of the vehicle all receive adequate spray coverage. Any spray group can also be disabled in advance to protect sensitive areas of the vehicle. The sprays are also independently controlled to use only sprays that are required and are best suited to the size and shape of the vehicle. This minimizes over-spray and optimizes the vision of the driver who is driving the vehicle through the wash. Note that the driver's visibility has a significant impact on driving behavior in a drive through type wash system.

Trailer brush system - is comprised of self-standing brushing units designed to brush the sides of flat-sided trailers only. The brushes are designed to apply equal pressure on each side of the vehicle regardless of the vehicles' position in the wash bay.

Fresh water management system - is designed to manage all fresh water used in the wash system from the point of entry into the facility to the point of delivery. This management includes processes to soften water, maintain system water pressure, purify water and heat water. The hot water system is designed to supply different temperatures of hot water to the different applications to insure hot water is available on demand at the point of use.

Recycled water management system - is comprised of proven technologies and innovative processes to insure suitable water is available for the system that delivers the high-pressure/flow water. The system is designed to clean the water on a continuous basis by removing dirt and contaminants for easy disposal. This eliminates the need for large settling pits that require periodic dredging. The automatic removal of contaminants in conjunction with other processes allows us to maintain a good water quality without the need of replacing the water. The high-pressure/flow system delivers the recycled water to the point of use on demand.

Wash system controls - is comprised of hardware and software, which together provide the automated control of the system. The controls design has the ability to monitor system performance real time and provide alarm and diagnostics information to the operator for ease of identifying fault conditions and assessing system performance.

Point of sale system - is a software program developed by Truck Wash Technologies specifically for the commercial truck wash application. The point of sale and wash system controls are interfaced to exchange real time information continuously. The point of sale provides screen options for the cashier and additional screens for a manager. The cashier is allowed to access screens necessary to complete a wash transaction with a customer. These options include entering or searching for customer information, select a custom wash program and generate receipts etc. The point of sale logs all relevant data related to sales, alarms and also provides critical human machine interface with wash system controls. The manager screen options provide access to a customer database, sales log, users, system parameters etc. The program allows the manager to generate a variety of reports related to logged data to check daily, weekly, monthly, annual sales and trends which can assist in employee scheduling and evaluating system performance. The system was designed as a multilingual program and currently has an English and Italian option. Note that the point of sale is designed for remote access from anywhere in the world, which makes it, a truly network ready application for multiple sites. This remote access allows for centralized accounting and technical support services.