Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

C

Chris Greco

Sophomore
Feb 15, 2012
158
3
18
Yonkers, NY
Wondering what our general populous has to say about truck lettering. Do I go ahead with a logo and graphics and make my truck a traveling billboard for the company. Or do I go low key with an abbreviated name and just a plain white truck, thereby minimizing attention.

Thoughts?
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

I've seen various approaches, although you likely need to have the company name and DOT number on the truck. Mostly, it depends on your markets, and how much the truck is going to be sitting parked full of gear.

One creative approach I've seen is a large QR code on the side of the truck.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Rob Timmerman said:
I've seen various approaches, although you likely need to have the company name and DOT number on the truck. Mostly, it depends on your markets, and how much the truck is going to be sitting parked full of gear.

One creative approach I've seen is a large QR code on the side of the truck.
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Currently not doing any overnight stuff, but as we all know, you never know. The truck would mostly be parked empty on NYC streets during gigs then back to my shop emptied and parked next to my house. My thoughts would be if someone really wanted what I have graphics or no gfx they would figure out a way to get it. Let's face it, if your gonna casually steal a truck load of gear your gonna need some sort of a plan to get rid of it. So the casual criminal thing is probably not a valid argument.

My target clientele probably wouldn't be driving along Madison ave, now if I was selling general consumables that would be a different story.

Am I just satisfying my own ego by having a cool looking truck?

QR code thing is intriguing but I'm not sure people wouldn't make the effort.

This brainstorming is making the wheeles turn.....I could lease space on the truck for advertising like PRG.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Chris Greco said:
Currently not doing any overnight stuff, but as we all know, you never know. The truck would mostly be parked empty on NYC streets during gigs then back to my shop emptied and parked next to my house.
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I don't know where exactly you live, but some municipalities and neighborhoods don't like commercial vehicles parked in residential areas. Signage on the truck may draw more attention to it.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Tom Manchester said:
I don't know where exactly you live, but some municipalities and neighborhoods don't like commercial vehicles parked in residential areas. Signage on the truck may draw more attention to it.
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So far no complaints, there are a few low key commercial vans, small trucks in the area and as long as your not bothering your neighbor and use common sense you should be ok. My neighbor once had a iveco refer diesel truck and he made the mistake of running the refer unit overnight and starting it at 6am. That didn't last. Mines a gas, pink and white ex bakery delivery step van, 16' long. Switchable backup alarm for those late night arrivals.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

We went through the same decision making process recently too, and ended up doing a full graphic wrap on our box truck. For us, it was based more on brand image than anything. Everyone else around us does shows in 1980's broken down vans, and we are setting ourselves apart as part of our marketing plan. Of course the greater concern is security, but our trucks are housed inside the shop when they aren't on the road or at a show, so that is less of an issue for us. If yours is parked and unloaded each time, I would assume you would be okay as well.

In the end, its been great! Yes, of course this industry is a "niche" market and not everyone you pass on the road will have an application in which to hire you, but it does get your name out there and builds recognition. Since the truck was wrapped, we have had multiple new shows come in as a result of seeing the truck parked at one of our shows we were already doing. Also, its fantastic at install jobs, as we park it in a visible location and have gotten calls that went like, "We saw you working at so-and-so church, and wondered if you could help us too?"

To each their own, but its worked out great for us and we are going to continue wrapping the other trucks as we go along.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Well, whatever you do… don't have your truck wrapped and then do a sh*tty install job or a badly executed gig. That's probably 10 times as much bad in one night as good you'll get every show people like your work.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

I am on the "Don't Do It" side of this debate, and for a few reasons.
Like others, I don't want to advertise what I have inside my easily accessible vehicle.
And seeing how you are in a well populated area and being a small business with virtually no protection from false claims... you will be surprised at the calls you will receive from people claiming your vehicle hit there car in a parking lot, or a rock that your vehicle kicked up smashed there windshield etc, etc, etc,...
I only mention the above because a small Mom & Pop company that I worked for a few years back did exactly what you are looking at doing. They had there delivery truck all lettered up and pretty looking, and then had it removed after 6-months because of all the false claims. The 25-years they were in business, the ONLY time they got harassed for damages caused by there vehicle was when they got it lettered with there information on it.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

I'm also part of the "neat and discreet" crowd. Having "ZYX Productions - Sound Lights Video Karaoke" on the side just screams "RIP ME OFF".

Our shop building doesn't have any signage other than the street address, either.

ps. Security is partly deception and a former forum participant suggested vehicle signage like "Sid's Sewer Service".
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Tom Manchester said:
I don't know where exactly you live, but some municipalities and neighborhoods don't like commercial vehicles parked in residential areas. Signage on the truck may draw more attention to it.
Click to expand...
Since many people drive company vehicles and have no control over any signage on the vehicle, most areas allow at least one commercial vehicle. I know that for my County you are allowed one commercial vehicle to be parked where it is visible at a residence. If they allowed none then I'd love to complain about the Fulton County (a different county) cop down the street with the marked car parked in his driveway.

Is the truck yours or the company's? If you ever had to support it being the company's then it being obviously identified as such might help your argument. Having signage on the vehicles seems to sometimes also help with things like access to secured areas and parking at loading docks.

My neighbor went with magnetic signs for all his company's vehicles. He has not had any problems with them being stolen and it makes it easy to not only remove them when desired but also to apply them to rental or other vehicles if you ever have that situation.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Brad Weber said:
Since many people drive company vehicles and have no control over any signage on the vehicle, most areas allow at least one commercial vehicle. I know that for my County you are allowed one commercial vehicle to be parked where it is visible at a residence. If they allowed none then I'd love to complain about the Fulton County (a different county) cop down the street with the marked car parked in his driveway.

Is the truck yours or the company's? If you ever had to support it being the company's then it being obviously identified as such might help your argument. Having signage on the vehicles seems to sometimes also help with things like access to secured areas and parking at loading docks.

My neighbor went with magnetic signs for all his company's vehicles. He has not had any problems with them being stolen and it makes it easy to not only remove them when desired but also to apply them to rental or other vehicles if you ever have that situation.
Click to expand...

Just going off of anecdotal evidence. On late nights I'll drive my company box truck home instead of stopping at the shop. We live in a neighborhood of mostly young families and older people and nobody really cares.

A guy in my business park drove his company landscaping truck home one time., It is always clean and looks practically brand new, especially compared to my truck. His neighborhood is on the other side of the county in an area mostly composed of people in their 40's to 60's. He said it was there less than a day before a police officer showed up and told him it had to go. It's not even a deed restricted neighborhood...
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

Brad Weber said:
My neighbor went with magnetic signs for all his company's vehicles. He has not had any problems with them being stolen and it makes it easy to not only remove them when desired but also to apply them to rental or other vehicles if you ever have that situation.
Click to expand...

Magnetic signs here too. Best of both worlds. When I'm parked at a festival gig it's nice to have the extra advertising. When I'm in the "ghetto", it comes off.
 
Re: Truck Graphics~To do or not to do?

nobody else brought this up so i will.

i've worked shows where the production company wanted to make it seem as if they were providing all of the production so they asked that none of the subcontracted companies have any logos visible, including trucks and shirts and the like. they were even willing to pay for rental of rental trucks in order to project this image.

did it work out for them? i don't know. it all seemed silly to me, but they produced a lot of shows and they paid well so the companies did as they asked. the ones with the white trucks got to pocket the rental truck stipend as extra profit. the others did not.

yeah, it's a weird consideration, but it happened so i thought i'd share....
 
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