Welcome back to Part II in our series on setting up your own mobile repair shop. Obviously, this is a large topic, and we want to make sure we get it right. Today, we will dig further into what it takes to make sure you get your business onto its feet and ready to go. The nation needs mobile repair shops more than ever. Will yours be one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In Part I of our series, we introduced you to the concept of\ncreating your own mobile repair shop. We talked about finances and ethics\naround doing a good job and running a respectable business. Today, we will look\nat what may arguably be one of the most important parts, if not the most\nimportant part, of running a mobile repair shop \u2013 your truck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examine Your Truck and Tool Setup<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you set up your truck you have two things to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, mobile repair shops invest in extended cab\npickups. Others prefer converted box trucks or large vans. In that instance you\ndo have more space to move around within the vehicle compartment. Either way\nyou go, a couple things you must have are decent mileage and a good bench seat.\nYou will be spending a lot of time in the cab, so don\u2019t take your comfort for\ngranted. Do you like listening to music? You can get nice trucks set up with\ngood sound systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After you have made your decision, it is time to evaluate\nthe tool situation. Not every tool you will have in a typical repair ship will\nfit onto the truck, but there are some tools that are more important \u2013 common\ntools you will definitely need. They include socket sets, brake tools, a\nscanning tool and an impact gun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It might also be a good idea to carry an air reel and air\ncompressor and pumps with you. Many technicians have specific parts they use\noften to help them make a diagnosis. Customize the setup of our truck around\nthe tools you intend to use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key is ensuring you do not have to waste time returning\nto home base if you forget a part or tool you needed while out on the job. It\nis recommended that you put a lot of consideration into the parts you want to\nkeep close at hand and the kind of vehicle to support them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What Will the Hours Be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The good thing about being a business owner is that you can\nset up your own hours. If you want to work typical nine to five hours with\nweekends off, you can do that. Just make sure you consider the needs of your\nbusiness. Also consider that working during much-needed evening hours can also\nbe quite lucrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Night service fills a critical need. Many long-haul truckers\nrun overnight and those trucks need some kind of maintenance. They need rescue\nthe same as daytime runners do. And since there are less mobile repair shops\noperating at those hours, you have a critical revenue source at your disposal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of fleets actually prefer working with vendors who\noffer overnight service. In these cases, you will travel to a specific location\nand get whatever work you need done after end of day hours. Motor carriers\noften do this in concert with their preventative maintenance program. The\nclients benefit because they get the work done and you get steady night gigs\nand the ability to take more daytime hours off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What Are the Pros and Cons?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As with any new endeavor, there are pros and cons. No one\nshould open a business on a whim. It is a big investment in both time and\nhard-earned dollars. It is a commitment that must be taken very seriously.\nLet\u2019s take a closer look at the pros and cons of opening your own mobile repair\nshop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the obvious pro is that many markets are not even close to saturation level. This is a nascent industry with a lot of potential for hard working newcomers who can make a splash in the market. Initially, you simply may not find much competition out there, which is great for you! You may even be able to charge slightly higher rates as a result. It is a simple matter of supply and demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to work more regular hours, it is likely you can\ndo that too. With far less market saturation, mobile repair operators starting\nbusinesses now can be the true masters over their own schedule and take the\nword they need when they want to take it. Being a business owner is in and of\nitself an obvious benefit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are cons, of course, as there are with anything. You\nmust have a lot of investment ready to go and have the wherewithal to see your\nvision through. It can also be easy to forget a license or something important.\nYou must have excellent safe driving credentials. But these are not even\nnecessarily cons, but more hurdles to overcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What Will You Repair?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider that mobile repair units can repair just about\nanything. We have been talking about big rigs, but to be fair, they aren\u2019t the\nonly commercial motor vehicles that utilize mobile repair units. There is a lot\nof heavy-duty machinery doing work out there on our roads and highways \u2013 who\nservices them? Mobile repair shops certainly can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From farm equipment to warehouse and maritime equipment,\nthere is a lot of heavy stuff out there that people would rather not try and\nbring to your shop should it break down. Logistically, it is just much easier\nfor the shop to come to them. Going to them also saves the time and energy they\nmust spend and helps you develop a stronger relationship with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most heavy equipment operators and companies that utilize heavy\nequipment prefer to have a steady mechanic vendor partner who they can call\nwhenever they need specific help. If you operate in an ethical way, charge fair\nmarket prices, and practice good customer service, you will make partners for a\nlong time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also remember that you may need to specialize in a certain\ntype of repair work. You can\u2019t just drive down to the nearest marina or\nconstruction site and start doing work. You need to ensure you have the proper\ncertifications and training. Plan on hiring technicians? They need to have the\nright paperwork in order as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep Marketing in Mind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Far too business owners put anything into marketing\nthemselves. Sure, you may have a truck and the right paperwork, but how do you\nget people to know who you are? First, make sure you have a good website set\nup. List your hours, location, testimonials, and have a clear contact form so\npeople can get in touch with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You also want to make sure you create and claim your Google\nListing. This will allow you to be easier seen online. Also make sure to set up\nyour social media channels and stay active in them. This will aid in your\nrecruiting efforts as well, as it is very likely people will be evaluating your\nonline presence before they even come to work for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also a lot of truck repair directories out there\nyou can join. With many of these directories, you can even purchase advertising\nor find access to other services that you might need as a mobile repair shop\nowner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, don\u2019t skimp on other tried-and-true marketing\nmethods. Put your name and contact info on pens, magnets, shirts, and other\nitems. Give yourself some schwag. You want to make sure you represent your\ncompany well while also giving yourself more opportunities to market your\nservices. Put your business cards at restaurants and give them to people you\nmeet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Back Office in Mind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While you likely are technician because you don\u2019t want to\ndeal with back office needs, as a business owner, you will have to. There will\nbe many times you have to deal with the administrative side of your business.\nFortunately, technology makes\nthat task very easy<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can have your office set up in your home or in a small inexpensive suite in a commercial center. You could even have a small office set up in your truck, with a Wi-Fi hotspot and more. But really, you should have a separate space, especially if you want to scale and grow the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact is there is something exciting about the life of a\nmobile technician. With many fleets turning to these third-party vendors to\nhelp them stay running during road emergencies, now is the time to get into the\nbusiness. We hope our two-Part series has helped you make the decision!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"