If you’ve ever wondered what the vehicles look like at an 8-figure pest control company, I’m going to break down exactly what ours look like, inside and out. I’ll walk you through one of our original Nissan NV vans, then one of our brand new Ford Mavericks, and give you a full price breakdown for everything that goes into each one.
My name is Jonas Olson. I’m the CEO of Pest Badger. Let’s get into it.
The Wrap
First thing you’ll notice is the wrap. I think everyone who runs a pest control company should have a wrapped van. The wrap on this van ran us about $3,500. This was one of our original vans. We’ve since moved on to trucks, but I still love the small vans for days when it’s raining because everything is enclosed. All of our technicians can keep their equipment and products dry without worrying about it.
What’s also nice is that when technicians bring their trucks home, they can keep everything locked up. No need to put it in a garage and store it away. That’s a huge plus.
The Vehicle Itself
We picked this Nissan NV up back around 2018 or 2019 for about $17,000. Pretty inexpensive. It didn’t come with a ladder rack, so we had to add that ourselves for about $1,100, but it’s been super nice to have for doing wildlife jobs and things like that.
Now, back during the pandemic, we couldn’t get vans. We were just finding everything that was out there. So we ended up with a couple Nissans, couple Dodges, couple Toyotas. But now that the pandemic’s over, we’ve switched our entire fleet to all Fords. Mavericks, F-150s, F-250s. Keeps it all the same and super simple.
Ladder Rack System
The ladder rack system runs about $1,100. Pretty cool setup. You don’t need any straps for it. Just one clip or a lock. Flip it up, pull it out, and the ladder unlocks. Definitely recommend one of these if you’re doing any kind of roof or wildlife work.
The Back of the Van
In the back, we’ve got our web pole stored out of the weather. The web pole setup is about $100 for the pole itself, maybe $12 for the brush, and the mounting kit is about $40 plus another $20 to $30 for the tube. Simple, but it keeps everything organized and dry.
Inside the Van
Here’s where it gets good. This is the full pest control truck setup on the inside:
65-Gallon Water Tank — Holds enough water for a full day. This one is gravity fed. We do have pumps on some of our other trucks, but gravity fed works just fine. The tank itself costs a couple hundred bucks, maybe $200 to $300.
Flow Zone Backpack Sprayer (3-Gallon) — This is what we use for all of our pest control jobs. We used to run power sprayers that held a couple hundred gallons, but the backpack sprayer is way more cost effective and just easier for the technicians. Plug the battery in and go to work.
B&G Pump Sprayer (1-Gallon) — This is what we use for all interior treatments and specialized treatments. Runs about $300 to $400 depending on where you buy them. Super important in pest control. Most operators have these. We really like the B&G brand. They’ve been really good to us. Most of ours are pink now to match the brand. This is one of the older black ones.
Product Shelves — All of our product stays on shelves, strapped in, looking good. We’ve got a bunch of different products in here, bait stations, granular products, the whole nine.
Belly Spreader — For doing lawn jobs around the house, keeping chinch bugs and things like that away. That runs about $80.
Caulking Guns — We keep caulking guns and silicone guns in here for doing exclusion work. Pretty straightforward.
Power Inverter — Plugs into the cigarette lighter so we can charge all our batteries. Some of our trucks have built-in inverters, but this was one of the originals, so it runs off the truck while it’s on.
Specialty Products — We keep Alpine bait on the side, Bedlam for bed bug jobs, and wasp freeze for wasp jobs.
The Water Setup
With the 65-gallon tank and a 3-gallon backpack sprayer, we can roughly do 20-something houses per day. If you’re doing insect or mosquito jobs, it could be a little less. But for strictly pest control, this setup handles a full day no problem.
A lot of people will fill up their tanks at customer houses. We don’t necessarily care for that, so we just carry enough water to fill up on the job. Technicians can also fill their tanks from a hose at home, so they don’t have to come to the shop every single day.
GPS and Monitoring
We have Raven units in every vehicle. GPS with audio and video, front and back. If one of our guys gets in an accident, we’ve got it recorded. And since our technicians keep their trucks at home, we can monitor if the truck is moving after hours. I always know where our trucks and technicians are at.
Van Price Breakdown
All in total, the van with the roof rack and everything comes in at about $24,000. The equipment total for this setup is about $7,000.
Now, if you’re just starting out and you’re using your own personal vehicle, you’re obviously not going to need to spend that much. You’re not going to need a wrap. You don’t need all this equipment just to get going. You can probably spend $300 to $500 and be in a really good spot to start servicing and building your company.
The New Pest Control Truck Setup: Ford Maverick
Now let’s look at one of our brand new Ford Mavericks. I’d actually never seen this exact setup before filming this. The guys seem to really like it. Here’s what they’ve got:
50-Gallon Water Tank — Sits right in the bed of the truck.
Flow Zone Backpack Sprayer — Same as the vans.
Web Pole — Tucked in alongside the sprayer.
Lockable Job Box — Dual construction lock box. Inside they’ve got a granular spreader, product, extra duster heads, one-gallon pump sprayer (pink, of course, to match the brand), mole traps, and whatever else they’re going to need out on the job.
Extra Product Storage — On the sides they have more product, extra gloves, PPE, face shields, side tools, and duster heads tucked away to stay dry.
Back Cab Storage — They were doing some initials that day, so they had bait station installs loaded up. Max Force AMP bait ready to go.
Charging Station — These Mavericks are all electric up front, so there’s a charging station where they can charge their backpack sprayer batteries throughout the day.
This truck is brand new. Still had the dealership license plate on it when we filmed this. We haven’t gotten the topper on yet, but once that goes on, everything will be locked up tight just like the vans.
Why We Wrap Every Truck
One of the first things we do when we get a Maverick is get it wrapped. I get asked all the time whether people should wrap their trucks. The answer is yes. I don’t care if it’s a sticker to start with. Just get something that looks professional.
By law, you have to have your phone number, business name, and things like that on your vehicle anyway. But beyond that, everyone sees our trucks when we drive on the road. Even when we only had one truck, people said they always saw us because the pink just really stood out.
That’s actually one reason I chose pink. Only 1% of all vehicles in the United States are pink. So we stand out every single time.
Ford Maverick Price Breakdown
All in total, the Ford Maverick setup runs about $40,220. The equipment total is $5,220. So yes, we spent more on the vehicle itself, but the equipment was actually cheaper to outfit on the Maverick than the van.
We’ve been running the Mavericks for about two summers now, and they get really good gas mileage, which is a plus.
How Much Revenue Does a Pest Control Truck Generate?
Here’s the number that matters. This single Ford Maverick will do about $1,500 to just over $3,000 every single day. On a yearly basis, our pest control trucks do about $250,000 to $300,000. We’re pushing upwards of $300,000-plus per truck. That’s the goal.
Which Pest Control Truck Setup Is Right for You?
I don’t care which style you prefer. I like the vans because everything is enclosed. Lock them up at night, technicians take them home, you don’t have to worry about anyone stealing anything. The Mavericks are great too, especially once the topper goes on and everything is locked up. When we do wildlife work, we have bigger trucks. Same thing with our fertilization and weed control trucks. We’ll go through those in another video.
The barrier to entry is not as high as you might think. If you’re using your own vehicle, a few hundred bucks in equipment, maybe $100 in product, and you’re off to the races generating revenue. And as you can see, even when you invest $40,000 into a fully equipped truck, that same truck is making you $250,000 to $350,000 per year.
That’s what our pest control truck setup look like. See you guys in the next one.
