The Top 10 Things to Know About Truck Lettering

So you bought a shiny new truck, van or trailer for your business.  That’s great.  Nothing is more efficient than a nice new vehicle.  Whether you are a landscaper, plumber, delivery service or florist, your truck is on the road all the time.  What a great opportunity to create a visual message for your potential customers.  It’s virtually a driving billboard for your business.  Truck lettering is also a very cost-effective method of advertising.  As you’ve read in many of my articles, it outranks pretty much any other advertising method for Return on Investment.

Nothing advertises harder for you than truck and vehicle lettering.  It’s working for you 24/7/365.  Whether parked or on the road, you are getting noticed.

So, you have never had your truck lettered before?   Or it’s been a while and you’re not quite sure whats new in truck lettering?  Do you want one color graphics, full color graphics, a partial or full-wrap?  There are so many options.  Cover the windows? Don’t cover the windows?  Are DOT numbers required on my vehicle?  Well, we have the answers right here in our Top 10 Things to Know About Truck Lettering.  So here’s the List:

Top Ten Things To Know About Truck Lettering

1.  Truck Lettering is probably the most cost-effective means of advertising for many local and small businesses.  At an average cost of $300-$1,000 for a decent lettering job on your pickup, car, van or trailer, you can’t beat it.

2.  Truck lettering can be done in vinyl (we use Oracal 751 for most jobs).  Vinyl lasts around 8-9 years on a vehicle.  That’s probably longer than most people have their work vehicles so it’s a great long-lasting product.

3.  Truck Lettering can be full color printing on vinyl.  And those prints can be contour cut to letters/logos, large photographs, partial or complete wraps.  Full Color printing on vinyl lasts around 4-5 years depending on sun exposure.  We laminate all of our full color prints with UV Laminate that also reduces scratches.

4.  Truck lettering is removable.   This makes it easy if you are leasing a vehicle to letter it as needed and remove the graphics before returning the vehicle.  It also makes for easy updating for new logos, phone numbers, etc.

5.  There is perforated vinyl for windows which allows you to see through it while make a solid covering for your window or creating a continuous wrap.

6.  We can complete the lettering process for most vehicles in one day.  It helps greatly to bring the vehicle in clean (get a car wash on the way) to reduce prep time.  Our team will have your truck lettering decals ready to be applied.  In general 2 doors on a pickup or van can be done in about  3 hours, a full van lettering (2 sides, back) takes about 5-6 hours.  A large step van or box truck will require about 8 hours.  Wraps can be completed in 1-2 working days.

7.  If you vehicle is registered as a commercial vehicle, it should be lettered with at least the company name and website.  For commercial vehicles working in Boston, you must have the company name, address and telephone number on your company vehicle in order to park in commercial spots in Boston.

8.  The Department of Transportation requires all vehicles over 10,000 lbs, or that transport between 9 and 15 passengers for compensation, or transport more than 16 or more passengers, or haul hazardous waste materials to have a US DOT number.  US DOT numbers must be displayed on the vehicle at least 2″ tall in an easy to read font.

9.  Lettering can be applied to your trucks, trailers, boats and equipment.  This creates a great branding opportunity and makes your crew on the road look professional.

10.  Technically, if you do not have your vehicle registered as a commercial vehicle, you should not have lettering on it.

For some great examples and ideas for lettering your truck or other vehicles, check out our Gallery.

 

A professional sign company like Express Sign & Graphics with over 20 years of experience can help you with many aspects of your marketing plan.  Our experienced staff knows how to help you design a logo, create the right file types and chose colors that work for your business.  We have lettered thousands of trucks and know how to get the job done for you “On time, and On budget”.

Get a Free Quote on Your Vehicle Lettering Project today.  Call 978-250-9890 and one of our staff members will be happy to help you.