6 Station Restroom Trailers – Top Entrepreneurs Podcast

Grant Stahla, Co-owner of Stahla Services, a nationwide provider of restroom, shower, and ADA trailer rentals again joins Enterprise Radio.

On this episode, the focus will be on the 6 Station Restroom Trailers, all the benefits and the specifics of renting this particular trailer for your needs.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Grant Stahla discuss the following:

(Host Eric Dye): Grant, why should our listeners care about 6-station restroom trailers right now?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, well, that’s a great question. Picture a 450 person outdoor corporate retreat in the Colorado Mountains. The venue’s spectacular, the catering’s world class, but the nearest bathroom facilities are a 15 minute hike down a winding trail. It’s a scenario where a six station restroom trailer transforms from a convenience into an absolute necessity. The six station category represents what I call the sweet spot of the restroom trailer market. These trailers handle everything from the mid size weddings to construction sites with 50 plus workers, while still being manageable to transport and position. In today’s episode, you’ll discover why a six station trailer command premium rental rates. How they achieve 400 to 500 guest capacity with smart design and the specific revenue opportunities that make them a cornerstone investment for rental trailer operators. We’ll breakdown the real market pricing from budget commercial units starting at $1,500 per day to premium event trailers reaching $2,200 daily. We’ll examine the technical specifics that generate good or separate good from great, and we’ll explore why these trailers consistently generate higher profit margins than their smaller cousins. As always, you’ll be able to find detailed information on our website Stahla.com/SixStationRestroomTrailers. Or you can just go to our website and look at the restroom trailer area and you’ll be able to select the six station and find all of this info.

(Host Eric Dye): Grant, what exactly counts as a 6-station restroom trailer and where did this category come from?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, good question. A 6 Station restroom trailer, it provides 6 individual restroom facilities, is typically configured as three women’s stalls plus two men’s urinals and one men’s stall. You’ll see variations like some trailers have 4 unisex stalls, +2 urinals. The key defining characteristic is that magic number of 6. That has enough capacity to handle 400 to 450 guests. During a standard four to six hour event without creating lines. Today’s market breaks down roughly as 45% usage for wedding and private events, 30% usage for commercial and public gatherings, and 20% construction long term rentals and then 5% for emergency of disaster relief applications. The versatility factor is huge. A 6 station can handle 150 person wedding just as effectively as a 400 person festival, making it the swiss army knife of the restroom trailer world. The typical rental cycle sees these trailers being deployed for one to three day events 60% of the time, and then weekly rentals 25% of the time and monthly or longer 15% of the time. And that creates excellent utilization opportunities for operators across lots of different market segments.

(Host Eric Dye): Walk us through the anatomy of these trailers – what makes them work?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, you bet. Well, I’ll give you the industry standard specs that define the six station category. Understanding this is crucial whether you’re buying, renting or positioning these units in the market. So for the length, it ranges from 17 to 19 feet long for the box itself, with total lengths including tongue goes 22 to 24 feet. Different manufacturers have a 17 foot model – there’s a 19 foot model. The width is standardized at 8 1/2 feet which is your max width and then with the steps down it’s about 12 1/2 feet long or wide. Weight starts about 7600 lbs for dry weight for the trailer. Some of the manufacturers have started 7100 lbs. It goes up to about 8200 lbs and then typically the frame construction with the lighter frames are gonna be aluminum and composite materials and then some manufacturers like rich trailers have a steel frame construction.

The flooring are wood free subflores and then that’s pretty much adopted industry wide. As far as the interior layout, the industry standard divides the spaces into two suites like I mentioned before, the women’s and the men’s with separate entrances to manage the flow efficiently, the women sections typically feature 3 private stalls with corner sinks, while men’s sections include one private stall, 2 urinals, and one sink, and this 321 configuration maximizes throughput while maintaining comfort. Flooring materials are commercial grade laminate that balances durability and appearance. Wall materials they’ve evolved from painted wood to seamless fiberglass and composite materials that resist moisture, moisture, and simplify cleaning.

Climate control it typically features a 13,500 BTU air conditioner unit on the roof, and it’s capable of maintaining that cool temperature even while it’s really hot outside. There’s electric floor heaters or wall heaters that can maintain that comfortable temperature of 65 plus degrees even when it’s below 0 outside. For fresh water capacities, it’s gonna range from 150 gallons to 200 gallons for a fresh water tank. The industry learned that anything under 150 gallons requires too frequent of refilling for multiple day events or for construction use.

The waste tanks, they range from 525 gallons to 680 gallons for the waste tank capacity and then most trailers have a water tank in them to have hot sink water and it’s rated at 3 1/2 gallons per minute, so you can have plenty of hot water and then it runs off of a 12 Volt water pump to power that.

Electrical systems, you’re gonna have shore power and it’s gonna start out with a single 20 amp circuit drawing 110 volts and typically that’s gonna power the lights, the water pump and then the A/C. Sometimes manufacturers will make it so that you need two connections to power to power the A/C and lights and water pump. But then in the winter, you’re definitely gonna need at least three or four connections to 20 amp 110 Volt power just because of the electric floor and wall heaters. If you don’t have power available, you’ll have a generator. You should be able to start out with a 5500 Watt generator. If you aren’t drawing the Max A/C load, but to be safe you’re gonna want at least a 7500 Watt generator and then if you have it long term, I would get a 20 kilowatt generator plus just as it’s going to be running day and night.

The LED lighting packages have been standard starting about 2018 in the interior illumination averages, 800-1200 lumens, and then usually there’s four to six fixtures per suite per side. Exterior lighting includes step illumination, occupied and vacant luminators and floodlight as well.

There’s some other cool features. Like Bluetooth, sound system, smooth Poly waste tank that resists odor buildup, powder coated aluminum trim, and heavy duty waist valves. And there’s accessibility features to help with getting around in there and innovative stair systems that deploy in under 10 minutes, which is really important when you’re setting up and tearing down the trailer often.

(Host Eric Dye) : Help our listeners understand the 6-station market, who are the major players and what should customers expect?

(Guest Grant Stahla): So the six station restroom trailer market represents about $3,000,000 of annual rental revenue nationally. What’s fascinating about this is how the market has stratified in the clear tiers that serve distinct customer needs and price points. Most 6 station units fall between 17 and 19 feet in length like I covered earlier. Handle 400 to 450 guests and are priced between $65,000 and $110,000 for new price. The market has essentially standardized on the three cell women’s side and the two stall urinal plus the one stall men’s side.

Common features across virtually all manufacturers include the LED lighting package, climate control, fresh water systems with hot water capability, waste tank monitoring and 20 amp electrical requirements.

Where brands differ usually is construction materials, tank capacities and interior finish levels. Some of the key players in their positioning, you’re gonna look see Rich trailers, Satellite mobile solutions or Satellite Suites, Jag Mobile Solutions, Black Tie. So those are some of the key players. You’re gonna see new pricing range from that $65,000 – $210,000 thousand dollars. The choice really comes down to three factors…your intended use frequency. Your target customer demographic and total cost of ownership expectations. So every legitimate 6 station manufacturer now provides that LED lighting, climate control, hot water waste, tank laundering and compliance with dot transport regulations. The basic safety features like hand rails, non slip steps and occupied or vacant indicators above the doors are universal and all units can operate on a standard 20AMP power and achieve similar guest capacity ratings because of that size.

The setup complexity ranges from 45 minutes to about 15 minutes, depending on how the steps deploy and just overall hand rail. The used market typically sees that three to five year old unit selling for about 50% of the new pricing. So if you’re paying $100,000 for a new unit, then in about 5 years it might be worth about $50,000.

(Host Eric Dye) : Give us some memorable stories of these trailers in action.

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, well, let me share some case studies that perfectly illustrate why a six station trailer has become the backbone of the mid sized rental market.

So case study #1 Colorado Mountain Wedding had 380 guests last September. A wedding planner in Aspen faced a challenge; a 380 person wedding at a private ranch with no utility infrastructure. The venue was stunning, but it was completely off grid. We deployed a 6 station restroom trailer, positioning it strategically between the ceremony and the reception areas. The results were remarkable. There were zero guest complaints about restroom access. The photographer actually used the trailer’s exterior as a backdrop for formal photos and the brides coordinator reported that bathroom lines never exceeded two people throughout that entire 8 hour event. The rental generated about $2800 and for that three day deployment with the client booking the same unit for their anniversary party the 2nd year. So that was a good example for case study #1.

So case study #2 is at a construction site. It was a highway expansion project. A general contractor in Kansas needed restroom facilities for a six month highway project with 60 plus workers on site daily. Traditional port a potties weren’t meeting OSHA comfort requirements and the nearest facilities were 12 miles away. They opted for a six station unit with a commercial package. The qualified outcomes were impressive. The 47% reduction in work time lost to restroom breaks compared to the previous project using standard units. There were zero OSHA citations related to restroom facilities during the two inspections and 89% worker satisfaction rated on post project surveys. The monthly rental rate of $8,700 was offset by the productivity gains worth an estimated of $15,400 monthly. That created a positive ROI that convinced them to purchase their own unit for future projects.

Case study #3 is the corporate event series, a Fortune 500 company runs quarterly employee appreciation events for 400 to 500 people across multiple locations. They were spending $12,000 to $15,000 per event using hotels and convention centers, primarily driven by restroom capacity limitations at their preferred outdoor venues. By partnering with a rental trailer company using a six station trailer, they reduced per event cost to $6200 dollars while expanding venue operations dramatically. Employee satisfaction increased 23% when they could host events at scenic outdoor locations previously ruled out due to infrastructure limitations. The company now books the same trailer configuration for eight events annually, generating about $50,000 annual rental revenue for the equipment suppliers. The ROI for rental operators with a six station trailer typically achieves 35% to 45%. Higher revenue per deployed unit compared to the four station restroom trailer models, while requiring only 15% to 20% higher operational costs and purchase price break. Calculations show most operators recovering their investments in 18 to 24 months at 65% utilization rates. You can see more video testimonials and case studies at our website, Stahla.com/blog. That’s a wrap up of our three case studies using that 6 station restroom trailer.

(Host Eric Dye) : Let’s talk dollars and cents, what’s the real cost of getting one of these?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah, good question. I’ll break down the real world economics of the six station restroom trailer. So like I mentioned a little earlier, the purchase price ranges from $65,000 to $110,000 new. It just depends on what features you get and if you’re getting a commercial trim level versus a premium luxury trim level. So the commercial tier runs $65,000 to $75,000, you get solid construction, basic interior packages and proven reliability. Any manufacturer can have that, but you’re looking at rich restroom trailers, Satellite or Jag for mid market, you’re going to be looking at $70,000 to $80,000. There’s some interior luxury packages, and then the ultra premium units start at $90,000 can reach $110,000. That’s going to be a fully customized unit and you can see different things like fireplaces inside there and TV’s about the urinals. The used market demographics; so you’re going to be looking at for a three-year old commercial units, they typically sell for $40,000, the $50,000 and then the premium units at the same age are going to be about 50 to $60,000. The commercial units typically hold a little bit better value due to the lower maintenance costs and broader buyer appeal.

For rental rates and the rental market, the daily rates vary significantly by region and market. So according to our current rental sheet, the Commercial 6 station rents for about $1500 daily while premium event units are about $2200 daily. Weekly rates typically offer that 20% discount, so the commercial weekly rates $6900 compared to 10,200 dollars for seven separate daily rentals and then monthly rates show a deeper discount at $9700.00 for 28 days. That represents substantial savings for longer deployments.

Seasonal variations are dramatic. The peak wedding season is May through October. You can see rates increase 25% to 35% in most markets. While in winter months you may see discounts of 15% to 25% for companies maintaining utilization. The interior package level accounts for $300 to $600 a daily rate difference between the commercial and the luxury units. The tank capacity differences they can justify between $150.00 to $200.00 depending on the tank size. And additional features like entertainment systems, enhanced lighting or custom interiors could add $200 to $400 to two daily rates.

Geographic location impacts pricing. So the metropolitan markets could increase 40% to 60% on rates compared to rural areas, while destination markets like Colorado ski towns or Napa Valley. You could see 100% plus premiums during peak seasons.

Industry standard additional costs. You’re gonna see delivery and set up fees averaging $4.00 to $5 per loaded mile and then you could see set up fees of ranging between $0 and $1500 dollars. Sometimes you’re gonna also see that fee on the back end as well for teardown generator rental, it starts at $200.00 and goes up to $400.00 for a weekend event, and then monthly generator rental – you’re looking at $1500 to $2000 to run that generator all month. The water service typically costs 150 to $300.00 per fresh water tank fill. And then some companies offer a damage waiver and typically cover the costs is about 10% of the rental value, and then that covers replacement cost for all major components. So for the ROI analysis for purchase consideration, the break even analysis shows one year to a year and a half at 65% utilization rates for commercial units. Or 15 months to 22 months for premium units due to higher acquisition costs then high profit applications include destination weddings, corporate events and long term construction contracts. The target buyer versus renters purchase makes more sense for operators planning 200 plus rental days annually, or markets with limited competition. Specialized applications like luxury event planning, where premium rates justify higher acquisition costs. The rental remains optimal for occasional user markets with strong competition or operating testing new geographic areas before committing to inventory investment. The financing landscape shows competitive rates qualified buyers typically secure 7% to 12% interest rates for a five to seven-year with some manufacturing offering promotional rates during that slow sales period.

(Host Eric Dye) : What separates smooth operations from costly problems?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Oh yeah, good question. So we have daily operations protocols, the PRE-DEPLOYMENT inspection typically takes about 15 minutes when it’s done right. You’re gonna be plugging in the trailer and making sure all the functions work. The toilets, the sinks and all the lights, and then you’ll pack it up and just make sure that it’s good to go with your DOT pre inspection checklist. You’re going to be checking things like tire pressure, making sure the axles are greased, making sure you have all seven connections connected when you hook it up to the pickup, and then make sure all of your steps and jacks are secure as well. The maintenance schedule that works is weekly maintenance during active season. That includes cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces, checking and replacing consumables like soap, and the trifold paper towels. Your test inspecting the generator connections and then monthly, if it’s out on site, that includes the deep cleaning of the waste tanks. You’re testing the dump valves, inspecting the electrical connections, checking tire condition, bearing grease testing, emergency breakaway systems. Usually it’s about four to six hours monthly. Seasonal, you’re gonna make sure that the winterization is done well with the air going through the whole system and then antifreeze after that and then testing that to see if there’s any freezing water that broke pipes or lines, and that usually takes about 8 to 10 hours per trailer. For critical spare parts, you want to make sure that you have an extra pump, installation fittings, toilet components, sink components and then toilet seats. Electrical components include the light fixtures, few sets, climate control, spare parts like capacitors and term fan motors. And then for the door locking, that is something that receives a lot of use. So you want to make sure that you have extra locks and then just making sure that you have all of these done. The pre inspection checklist is really helpful to make sure that you you are preventing issues instead of reacting to issues which could cost up to 10 times the cost of just replacing that little part before it breaks.

(Host Eric Dye) : Where is this technology headed next?

(Guest Grant Stahla): Yeah. So with technology, there’s smart monitoring systems. Real time tank level monitoring, usage analytics and predictive maintenance alerts. There’s smart monitoring, sensing, temperature and humidity to occupancy patterns and consumables levels. There’s mobile payment integration with this. So those are some of the things coming up sustainability wise. It really helps with reducing water consumption and manufacturers responding to the EPA with providing low flow fixtures improved waste decomposition systems and enhanced odor control. And then solar power is another thing that’s coming on board. So some of the areas in the south would be able to operate with solar panels and batteries. Market growth wise and the demographics, the industry research shows that the six station segment should grow 12% to 15% annually. The customer demographic is shifting a little bit younger as people book more weddings and events and then shift to trailers for construction. And then design wise, we should still see that split for the six station with the three stalls on the woman’s side and then the two stalls in one urinal on the men’s side. So with these technology advances, we’re thinking that’ll increase the new unit cost by 8% to 12% over the next five years, but operational savings and premium pricing opportunities should be able to offset that for most operators.

(Host Eric Dye) : Grant, give us the one thing listeners should remember.

(Guest Grant Stahla): Well, the six station trailers are definitely the Swiss Army Knife of the restroom trailer fleet. They’re versatile enough to handle everything from that 150 person wedding to 450 guest corporate events while generating revenue of 35% to 45% over those smaller units without the proportional increases in operational complexity. So you want to choose a six station when you need to handle 300 plus guests efficiently. When your site allows access to that 20 to 24 foot trailer deployment, and when your market supports $1400 plus daily rental rates. For buyers, focus on total cost of ownership rather than the initial purchase price. Choose between that commercial and premium level trim and you should be good to go. Check out our website Stahla.com under restroom trailers and you’ll be able to select six station to be able to see all of this information and more… and excited to talk to you about the next trailer on our next episode.

Tune into our ALL ABOUT Stahla Services Podcast Series – right here.

About Grant & Erin Stahla

Grant and Erin Stahla are entrepreneurs passionate about redefining portable sanitation and creating a business that reflects their values—care for people, excellence in service, and faith-driven leadership.

Their journey began with a shared passion for business, which became the foundation of their relationship. While most couples start with small talk, Grant and Erin’s first date was spent discussing sales, marketing, and operations. Grant launched Stahla Services right out of college, and Erin joined him in the business after they got married. Together, they’ve built a company that not only delivers exceptional service but also prioritizes strong relationships—with customers, employees, and the community.

Beyond their work, Grant and Erin are committed to personal growth, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and giving back through their support of Love Justice International, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing human trafficking. Their business is an extension of their mission to serve others while fostering a life centered on faith, family, and integrity.

About Stahla Services

At Stahla Services, we believe restrooms should be more than just a necessity. That’s why we provide restroom and shower trailer rentals that offer a clean, comfortable, and premium experience for event guests, construction crews, and businesses alike.

Unlike standard porta-potties, our facilities feel more like high-end hotel restrooms, featuring:

✅ Climate control for comfort in any season
✅ Fresh running water and modern fixtures
✅ Spacious, spotless interiors with fully stocked supplies

Whether you are hosting a wedding, managing a construction site, or organizing a corporate event, we deliver reliable service with a commitment to excellence. Our team ensures that your restroom experience is seamless, from setup to pickup, so you can focus on what matters most.

Beyond business, we’re driven by a purpose—to do things the right way, give back to those in need, and create opportunities for growth. With every rental, a portion of our profits supports Love Justice International in their fight against human trafficking.

At Stahla Services, we’re more than just a restroom rental company—we’re a team dedicated to providing comfort, reliability, and care in every interaction.