If you own a mobile oil change business and have at least 100 monthly customers or 300 total customers, you may want to consider buying oil in bulk to save cost. Oil is a big cost in the mobile oil change business, although not as much as labor. But any savings you get means more profit for your small business.
As the founder of Oil Change Guys, let me share a few secrets with you. You will see that bulk suppliers are often regional and sometimes in order to get the best service and price you may find that it is more a question of area than brand. Although for customers it is more about branding. Some larger fleet customers will specify the brand and you want to make sure you can, otherwise your competitor gets the account for you.
We have always found that a proper deal with a local regional supplier can be significant, even to the point where regional Oil Company representatives visit you and see what they can do to help you. Including things like interest-free loans and/or financing agreements based on purchases or purchase guarantees. This can help you with expansion dollars to take on larger local and regional accounts and expand your business, buy new units, or buy out a pesky competitor, who can add accounts without long travel times.
To find a supplier of bulk oil, you’ll probably have to search. Let’s say you’re in OH for example. This is a good state for brokers and vendors, which means there are some really good options and a bit of competition to get you better services, extras, and a lower price. Of course, also across the river in KY you’ll find a support structure available through Valvoline, though they might as well see it as competition for their own in-house mobile oil change units. They have mobile oil change company software.
Of course, if you are doing fleets and intend to do more, you may not want to put all your eggs in one basket, as some larger fleets prefer Chevron, which has a strong following, and others will only use Shell Rotella; http://www.rotella.com/ A good place to check which brokers are in your area servicing your oil needs is to check with your local School District, why not check with the Superintendent of Transportation, where do they buy?
your bulk oil for the nozzles? Could that give you a good clue?
In fact, it pays to shop around when looking for a bulk oil broker, and also it makes sense to use a local supplier, as they may end up referring businesses to you, because they know you will be using their products. So think about this, as your vendor is part of your business team, in every way. They know it and you should know it too.