There are a lot of things to think about before buying a mobile unite – from insurance to maintenance to the interior layout. Ben Dubin-Thaler shares his mobile unit journey and discusses things you should think about before taking the keys.
Listen to the Episode Here!
Links
Website: BioBus
Website: Mobile Laboratory Coalition
Document: Scoping a Mobile Lab
Podcast: Ep 178: Your Nonprofit Guide to Buying, Renting, and Moving with Paul Wolf
Podcast: Ep 134: Broadcast With Your Own Podcast with Mathew Passy
Timestamps
(03:45) The BioBus story
(07:00) Buying a mobile unit
(09:33) Running on vegetable oil
(11:40) Outfitting a mobile unit
(12:30) Ben’s worst (and best) day of owning a mobile unit
(15:11) Lessons learned, from vehicle character to insurance
I made the mistake I’m going to tell everyone today not to do:
I found a bus, I went and bought it, and I just tried to make it work. Boy, if I could do it over again, I would do it differently.
13 tons is the magic number – 26,000 pounds – above that number is a whole bunch of regulatory pieces that kick in – staying under makes it easier
The community stepped up in ways I couldn’t ever imagine
Vehicles can throw you under the bus sometimes
It’s a tight fit – you have to manage the space really well