u/Equal_Ant2188

I’m looking to start doing dumpster pads

To test the market and stack enough cash to buy my own commercial rig, I’m planning on renting a hot-water pressure washer from a local yard to handle my first few route days.(4gpm hotsy trailer)

My exact math for a single rental day looks like this:

Fixed Overhead (Rental + Pickup/Drop-off): ~$220/day

Chemicals : ~$20 per pad (budgeting 1 full gallon per ~200 sq. ft. pad)

My goal is to walk away with $500 in pure profit per day to make the physical labor and rental hassle worth it. To hit that, I am aiming for route density—batching 4 pads on the same block or strip mall at $200 each ($800 total revenue minus $300 in rental/chem costs).

For the guys who have done this: Is it realistic to knock out 4 nasty restaurant dumpster pads in a single day using a rented machine, or will setup, breakdown, water source headaches, and rental return times kill my schedule? Is renting a smart bridge to validate the route, or should I just buy a machine upfront?

The Situation:

I have a 2024 Honda Odyssey that was involved in a collision (not at fault). The total physical damage came to $12,000. Because the vehicle is brand new and the damage was so high, I filed a Diminished Value (DV) claim with USAA.

The Conflict:

USAA sent a lowball check and told me I had to deal with Alacrity Solutions (their TPA) if I disputed the amount. I did exactly that. On April 23rd, I sent a substantial packet of evidence, including my own market research and professional data proving the legitimate loss in value.

The Issue:

Since April 23rd, I have received zero substantive response from either USAA or Alacrity. The only reply I get is "we'll check on it."

No formula for how they reached their lowball number.

No counter-analysis of the data I provided.

No timeline for a resolution.

Louisiana Law & Bad Faith:

From my research, I believe they are violating La. R.S. 22:1892, which requires insurers to initiate loss adjustment within 14 days. It has now been over 14 days since my formal dispute and submission of proof of loss.

My Questions for the Group:

Is the $12k repair-to-value ratio enough to trigger a higher DV payout? (MSRP is roughly $45k-$50k, so repairs were ~25% of the car's value).

Is USAA using Alacrity as a "shield" to avoid bad faith penalties? It feels like they are using a third party to intentionally delay the process and distract from their statutory duties.

Has anyone successfully used the "14-day rule" (R.S. 22:1892) to force an adjuster to actually provide their valuation report?

I’m not a lawyer, but this feels like "arbitrary and capricious" behavior under La. R.S. 22:1973. Any advice on how to force a substantive response and settlement without having to hire an attorney would be appreciated.

The Situation:

I have a 2024 Honda Odyssey that was involved in a collision (not at fault). The total physical damage came to $12,000. Because the vehicle is brand new and the damage was so high, I filed a Diminished Value (DV) claim with USAA.

The Conflict:

USAA sent a lowball check and told me I had to deal with Alacrity Solutions (their TPA) if I disputed the amount. I did exactly that. On April 23rd, I sent a substantial packet of evidence, including my own market research and professional data proving the legitimate loss in value.

The Issue:

Since April 23rd, I have received zero substantive response from either USAA or Alacrity. The only reply I get is "we'll check on it."

No formula for how they reached their lowball number.

No counter-analysis of the data I provided.

No timeline for a resolution.

Louisiana Law & Bad Faith:

From my research, I believe they are violating La. R.S. 22:1892, which requires insurers to initiate loss adjustment within 14 days. It has now been over 14 days since my formal dispute and submission of proof of loss.

My Questions for the Group:

Is the $12k repair-to-value ratio enough to trigger a higher DV payout? (MSRP is roughly $35000, so repairs were ~30% of the car's value).

Is USAA using Alacrity as a "shield" to avoid bad faith penalties? It feels like they are using a third party to intentionally delay the process and distract from their statutory duties.

Has anyone successfully used the "14-day rule" (R.S. 22:1892) to force an adjuster to actually provide their valuation report?

I’m not a lawyer, but this feels like "arbitrary and capricious" behavior under La. R.S. 22:1973. Any advice on how to force a substantive response without having to hire an attorney would be appreciated.