Mobile Groomer Career Guide: Grooming From a Van, Trailer or the Client's Home

Mobile grooming is one of the work settings the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists for groomers, alongside the grooming salon, the kennel, the veterinary clinic and the pet supply store.

BLS describes a mobile grooming service as "a self-contained business that travels to clients' homes."

Inside that self-contained space, the grooming itself is the professional task list O*NET lists for animal caretakers: washing, brushing, clipping and trimming coats, cutting nails, cleaning ears, and talking through each pet's grooming needs with the client.

Groomers also schedule appointments, sell products to pet owners, and identify problems that may need veterinary attention, in BLS's description of the work.

On the road, those tasks follow you into the van: you confirm the next stop, note anything on a coat or skin that a veterinarian should see, and tell the owner rather than diagnose it.

The travel layer is what makes the job distinct: driving between appointments, keeping water, power and equipment working in a small space, and cleaning and restocking the van between stops.

Cats are part of the work too: Bark & Mane (formerly Aussie Pet Mobile) says it grooms both cats and dogs from a full-service grooming van, and describes its groomers as AKC S.A.F.E. certified.

Choosing between a fixed salon and the road shapes the whole job; the rest of this guide is the mobile side of that choice.

This guide frames the choice as two broad paths: driving a company van as an employee, or owning the rig and the business that comes with it.

One example of the employer side is Bark & Mane (formerly Aussie Pet Mobile), the mobile grooming brand in the Home Franchise Concepts family of brands.

Its careers site advertises paid training, PTO, fuel costs covered, supplies and tools provided, office-managed appointment scheduling, and "commission & tips" compensation, and says it provides a Mercedes-Benz or Ford van equipped with air conditioning, a hydrobath and a grooming salon.

That list is the brand's marketing, not an offer letter: Bark & Mane locations are independently owned franchisees, and a groomer hired at one is employed by that franchisee, which alone sets pay and benefits.

An owner-operator instead buys or leases the van, books the clients, sets the prices and carries the business: bookings, equipment upkeep and the paperwork.

BLS notes that many states require self-employed animal care workers to have a business license — part of what being in business for yourself means.

How common is each path?

BLS counted 25% of all animal caretakers as self-employed in 2025, but that share covers every animal-caretaker job, and BLS publishes no separate split for mobile groomers.

• The van. Fleet employees use a company van — Bark & Mane says it provides a Mercedes-Benz or Ford van equipped with a hydrobath and a grooming salon — while an owner-operator buys, leases and outfits their own.
• Scheduling. Bark & Mane's careers page describes office-managed appointment scheduling for employees; an owner-operator books and routes their own clients.
• Tools and supplies. The brand lists supplies and tools as provided; an owner-operator buys and maintains their own.
• Pay structure. The brand advertises "commission & tips" compensation, and the franchisee that hires you sets the actual terms; an owner-operator keeps what is left after vehicle, supply and operating costs.
• Business rules. BLS notes that many states require self-employed animal care workers to have a business license — that rule targets the self-employed path, and both paths should confirm what their state and city require.

Some Bark & Mane franchisees have advertised entry roles as well as experienced groomer roles, so the route can start before you are a finished groomer.

Under the federal commercial-driver rules (49 CFR 383.5), a single vehicle needs a CDL (Group B) only if its gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight is 26,001 lb or more.

A truck-plus-trailer combination needs a Group A CDL only if the combined rating is 26,001 lb or more and the towed unit is over 10,000 lb.

Our research did not verify the weight rating of any specific grooming van or trailer, so check your vehicle's GVWR and your state's rules — states can add requirements.

Certifications are voluntary: BLS states that certifications are not required for animal care and service workers.

Employers may still name them — Bark & Mane's website says its groomers are AKC S.A.F.E. certified, which is that brand's description of its own team.

The day is a route, not a room: appointments at clients' homes, with driving, setup and cleanup between them.

Each stop is the occupation's core task list — bath, brush, clip, trim, nails, ears — done in a compact space while the client's door is steps away.

The van is a full workspace in miniature: Bark & Mane describes its vans as equipped with air conditioning, a hydrobath and a grooming salon — a whole salon fitted into a vehicle.

You are the front desk too: clients are met in person, grooming needs are discussed at the door, and product recommendations and rebooking happen van-side.

You are also the person who notices.

BLS includes identifying problems that may need veterinary attention in the groomer's work: a groomer stops and tells the owner what they are seeing, and diagnosing or treating it is the veterinarian's job, never the groomer's.

It is physical work.

BLS lists physical stamina as an important quality for animal care workers, who must be able to kneel, crawl and lift heavy supplies, and who risk injury when caring for animals.

In a van, those demands come in tighter quarters than a salon offers, with the day's supplies aboard from the first stop to the last.

Hours follow the clients: BLS notes that part-time work is common for animal caretakers and that schedules may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Our research found no published count of grooms per day for mobile vans; how many a day holds depends on coat condition, dog size, the services booked and the drive between stops.

BLS does not publish a wage for mobile groomers, or a groomer-only one: groomers in every setting are counted inside animal caretakers, SOC 39-2021, a group that also includes kennel attendants, pet sitters and others.

The BLS median annual wage for animal caretakers (includes groomers) was $35,360 in May 2025, with the lowest 10% earning under $27,250 and the highest 10% over $50,060.

That figure mixes every animal-caretaker job in every setting, so read it as the occupation's spread rather than a mobile groomer's pay.

Commission and tips can be part of the pay: Bark & Mane's careers site lists "commission & tips" compensation, and the franchisee that hires you sets the actual terms.

Owner-operator income is a business number, not a wage: what is left after the van, fuel, supplies, insurance and other operating costs.

Our research found no income figure for self-employed groomers or owner-operators, and no mobile-specific split, in BLS's published data.

The full animal caretakers (includes groomers) tables — nationally and by state — are on the animal caretakers salary page.

Neither path is strictly better; the trade-offs are about structure, independence and what you want to carry.

• A self-contained workspace. The van is your room: no shared tables, no lobby traffic, and the setup stays the way you left it.
• The rig can come with the job. Bark & Mane's careers site lists a provided van, supplies and tools, paid training and covered fuel — the employee path can start without a vehicle of your own.
• Entry routes exist. Bark & Mane franchisees posted bather, trainee and junior groomer roles in October 2026, so the mobile path can start before you are a finished groomer.
• A growing occupation behind it. The BLS Employment Projections project animal caretakers (includes groomers) to grow 12%, from 365,300 jobs in 2025 to 409,400 by 2035.
• Driving is part of the job. Weather, traffic, parking and the client's driveway are the commute.
• Tight physical quarters. The kneeling, lifting and injury risk BLS flags for animal care workers arrive in a smaller space than a salon's, with everything aboard.
• Solo weight. On the owner-operator path the van's downtime is your downtime, and the marketing, bookings and equipment upkeep are yours to carry.
• The rules sit on you. BLS notes many states require self-employed animal care workers to have a business license, and facility rules can reach grooming vehicles — Connecticut's grooming-facility definition expressly includes vehicles and trailers maintained as a grooming business.

Weigh the two lists against how you want to work: an employer's structure on day one, or a book of business you build yourself.

Where to look first: fleet and franchise operators, independent owner-operators hiring help, and salons that run a van as part of the business.

The recent postings our research pulled were Bark & Mane franchisees' ads: Dog Bather, Dog Grooming Trainee, Entry Level Pet Grooming Trainee, Junior Groomer, Mobile Groom Tech, Dispatcher and experienced mobile groomer roles, advertised in October 2026.

When you read a posting, ask the questions that separate the two paths from the sections above: which van and equipment come with the job, who covers fuel and supplies, and how commission and tips are calculated.

When you are ready to look, open roles are listed on the mobile groomer job board, with dog bather jobs nearby if you want to build hours first.

Career information, not legal, tax, insurance or veterinary advice. Confirm the rules that apply to you with your state agriculture department, your city or county, your state driver licensing agency and each employer.