Comparing quotes is hard because companies bundle different things into the rate. The headline number is rarely the hard part — the fees that show up after are. Here is what to look for.
What moves the price
Every unit is quoted per job rather than off a rate card, because four things change the number more than the unit type does:
| What we ask | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Delivery ZIP | Distance from the nearest of our five yards |
| Rental length | A weekend rental and a six-month job site price differently |
| Service frequency | Weekly is standard; high-traffic sites go twice weekly or daily |
| Unit type and count | A standard unit, a deluxe flushable, an ADA unit, or a trailer |
Have those four answers ready and a quote takes about five minutes on the phone. Call our number — you get a real number, not a range.
What should already be included
If any of these are line items rather than part of the quoted rate, you are looking at a teaser price:
- Delivery and placement inside the standard service radius
- Weekly service — pump, sanitize, deodorize, restock
- Toilet paper and hand sanitizer at every service visit
- Pickup at the end of the rental
The four fees worth asking about
Fuel or environmental surcharge. A percentage added at invoice time. Ask directly whether one exists and what triggers it.
Extra service visits. If your site needs more than the scheduled visit, what does an additional trip cost? Should be a flat per-visit number.
Damage and loss. Tipped units, burned units, and units lost off site. Reasonable companies assess these separately and fairly. Ask what the replacement value is before you need to know.
Long-distance delivery. Outside the core radius, there is usually a trip charge. It should be quoted up front, not discovered later.
Why the monthly rate beats the weekly rate
The weekly rate looks smaller, but a four-week job billed weekly usually runs 30–40% more than the same job on a monthly rate. If your project runs longer than three weeks, ask for monthly pricing specifically — a lot of companies will not volunteer it.
What actually moves your price
Service frequency. Weekly is standard. Twice-weekly roughly adds 60–70%, not 100%, because the truck is already on the route.
Unit count. Multiple units at one address cost less per unit than one unit at one address. The drive is the expensive part, not the pumping.
Distance. Delivery is included throughout our serviced area. We run five yards, so the nearest one is usually closer than you would expect — see where we deliver.
Season. Spring and fall event weekends are the tightest inventory windows of the year. Booking months out for a Saturday in October beats booking weeks out.
Getting an honest quote
Ask any company these four questions before you book:
- What is the all-in weekly rate including service, delivery, and pickup?
- Are there fuel, environmental, or administrative surcharges?
- What does an extra service visit cost?
- What is the monthly rate if this runs long?
A company that answers all four in plain numbers on the phone is a company that will not surprise you at invoice time.
What JOTS charges
We quote one number with weekly service included, and anything else that applies to your job is on that quote before you book rather than added at invoice time.
Call our number with your headcount, timeline, and ZIP and you will get a real number the same day.
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