Putting signs on the work truck/van has been discussed here many times, (but not nearly as much as yard signs) but I have yet to hear discussion for keeping trucks/vans sign free. I see hundreds of trucks driving around obviously set up for use by a contractor completely void of any signage. What is there reason?
Now I don’t have any lettering or signs on my truck but that is because I use an older truck not in the best of shape. Advertising on a truck comes with certain amount of responsibility to be effective marketing, like keeping it neat, clean and using good driving habits. So in my opinion, putting any signage on this truck would be more detrimental to marketing than good.
One argument that I can think of for not lettering the truck is, your not blatantly advertising to thieves that you’re carrying a lot of valuable tools.
Any thoughts?
Replies
I'd say you have a point about advertising to thieves is valid. The others you give are...questionable.
First off, if you are driving a beat up truck, that DOES communicate, with everyone who knows you or does business with you. Just like you say, it represents you. When you say you don't put signage on the truck because you think the truck reflects poorly on your business, isn't that really an admission that you believe your truck DOES reflect poorly?
I was real hesitant to put signage on my first truck. But I can't tell you how many people have called, or stopped me and struck up a conversation because they saw the truck, and mine's nothing fancy. I originally thought of it as a reminder to people I know that I was in business. But I'm amazed at how often people say "yeah, I've heard of you", and that truck signage is the only advertising I do. It's amazing.
And what's this about "good driving habits"? Put your name on your truck and every time you let someone in ahead of you, or use your turn signal, or give a wave of thanks when someone lets you change lanes in front of them, or stop for someone in a crosswalk, says that you are courteous. Isn't that the type person you'd like to do business with?
If you don't want people to know you are in business, shouldn't you think about that? Kind of reminds me of people who don't use their real names when they post online.
One draw-back to signage on your truck has to do with our litigious
society and times. Besides that, they'll sue you !
In my experience with my own insurance agency, claimants tend to sue more often, and for bigger sums, if they know that the vehicle that they were involved in an accident with is a business vehicle. It's the old "deep-pockets" belief. The bodily injury attorney's love to
get hold of a commercial insurance policy, which normally (and wisely)
carries higher limits of liability.
Of course if you've got ladder racks and obvious trades materials
rattling around in the back, there may be no hiding it.
Food for thought. Greg.
"When you say you don't put signage on the truck because you think the truck reflects poorly on your business, isn't that really an admission that you believe your truck DOES reflect poorly?"
Kind of! My truck is fourteen years old, it's in good shape for its age and it's been real good to me. However I don't believe it's a good advertising tool (a spotless late model). I'm considering a new truck therefore the topic on truck lettering.
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Wouldn't a lack of advertising on a work truck also be a marketing strategy?
Isn't it plausible that a lack of advertising can be translated as, no need to advertise = considerable demand. Then considerable demand = quality/value. From there it could go one step further where demand creates demand. Just because something is in demand people think they've got to have it too (like the old saying, keeping up with the Jones'). Extreme examples of demand creating demand are Beanie Babies or Cabbage patch dolls in the 80's. (I'm sure there is a more proper name for this phenomenon and you think I would know it since I majored in Marketing :-)
Just a theory and food for thought!
Scott R.
Edited 8/29/2002 10:08:24 AM ET by Scott R.
Bottom line,if you are doing business as a sub for a variety of contractors They may not want signs on your truck( I don't let my same trade subs use their signs.)
If you are RETAILING work under your own name you seriously need to look at using signs
i think i now have the oldest truck still in service in town...a '91Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Now tell me true.
Would you buy a remodel from the man who drives that truck ?
: )Quittin' Time
Now tell me true , Would you buy a remodel from a guy that drives a BMW?
Probably not.
But I'd buy a remodel from the guy that drives that truck.
It was a rhetorical question.
: )
Quittin' Time
Sorry guy..............I thought i was making a rhetorical comment.
Aha.
So the mistaken understanding was mine, not yours. Sorry about that.Quittin' Time
Okay, now that brings up something I hadn't thought of. Say, for whatever ungodly reason, you drive a F*rd. Now, THAT would be a perfectly valid reason not to put your sign on your truck. Now I get it.
Brinkmann for president in '04
The reason for no signs ......... the door skin might fall off.
hah, thot that wud flush out the ford trashers...
wats knot to like about that truck, jimbo....200,000 miles.... 2d engine, 2d tranny, 2d paint
A/C works great, great heater, tape deck, no rust.. lottsa dents
just starting to develop character.. like me...
'sides , it matches the new trailer....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Hey Mike, it's a Chebby ............ no Ford bashin' here. Miss my 87 w/ 300 six and 4 speed w/ granny 1st ........... it was a workin' fool.
jon, is dat u ?
i get so cornfused by all these nu handles....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Tis ...John in ME. For some reason I couldn't use my handle from the old boards when all this Dispero bidness started.
Hey Mike!
Now tell them what the inside looks like. <G>
Hi Helen!But, but, its SUPPOSED to taste like that!
knock it off adele.. under all that crap is a new set of silipcovers... hah,hah, hah...
wassa matta ? would mark play the radio for you ? how's orlando ?.. not too far from Beaumont , now is it ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Forget Ford, forget Chevy.
VOLKSWAGEN ALL THE WAY!!!!!
Muttering to self "GOD you are SUCH an instigator!"
Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good w/ketchup.
Edited 8/29/2002 10:45:20 PM ET by PLANTLUST
V dubs are ok ........... went back to school a few years back and went through 2 Rabbits commuting over 120 miles a day. Got 237,000 miles out of one and 208,000 out of the other. Still ran great but its kinda tough in the winter looking down at the floor and seeing road- had a 2x4 holding the seat up. Not so good as a truck ........ its a scary sight to see a rabbit coming down the road with 6 sacks of Type 1 Portland cement, a wheelbarrow, and shovels and rakes in it.
Looking at the road through the floor...
Yer lucky the engine didn't fall out. The one and only Rabbit that I ever owned, the engine came loose one day. REAL loose. Upon inspection, it was easy to see why.
The motor mount was bolted to the sheet metal of the wheel well. Years of road salt had taken their toll on the wheel well, and the whole thing had rusted through, and broke loose. The motor was being held by the other wheel well. And not too well at that.
I fabricated my own mounts. Which for some magical reason got rid of all kinds of road noise, shakes and rattles. I then promptly sold the car. LOL
(yes, I told the guy about it. Showed it to him, and described what happened, and what I did. Only made him more eager to buy the car.)
Quittin' Time
My 87 Golf lasted 213,876 miles (same engine etc, nothing really done to it except oil changes, new tires and a belt replaced B4 it needed to be replaced), until I was driving 80mph on I355 and it popped out of 4th gear...by itself. I spent 2 wks driving to work manually holding the gearshift in 4th gear. Then I had to also hold it in 3rd gear. And then in 2nd gear. My brother and father decided that it might be a good idea to get rid of the car at that point. I didn't want to. You have no IDEA what can fit into a Volkswagen. Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good w/ketchup, cheese - especially applewood smoked gouda, a decent sized kosher/garlic pickle and let's not forget the 70% bittersweet Scharfenberger.
Did someone mention "smoked gouda"?
Brinkmann for president in '04
Rusted floorboards are ok until you hit a puddle too fast.
The continually moist carpet does produce unusual odors tho'. Makes for an interesting ride.That's the one thing about southern livin', You do get spoiled by old vehicles with no rust. Nothin' like reusing the same muffler clamp from 5 years back. Beats working underneath with a torch in one hand.Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Radio? Hells Bells, when I'm asked which way to go when I've never been there before, the chances of finding the radio diminish greatly.
Orlando is ok. Really hot with lots of rain this summer, which is good as we don't have the fires. Bunches of trees coming down all over though, due to saturation. THe tree people are working constantly, my landlord wants to take one down in my backyard and it's $1,500 and a three week wait. The lakes are now filled up after the drought last year, so people who have paid all the big bucks to live lakeside are happy. Gator season starts this weekend, I think with bow & arrow. Ummmm, not as many tourists as last year.
Don't know what the Beaumont ref is.
Hope you are keeping busy, miss the pics.
Oh yeah, I got laid off- need any admin work?But, but, its SUPPOSED to taste like that!
This is my little finish trailer. I leave it on the job where it can be seen. It provides a lot of leads.
Ditch
"'sides , it matches the new trailer...."
"Trailer"? What kind of trailer?
Brinkmann for president in '04
Actually, in old English it used to be called a:
B U G G YMeddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good w/ketchup.
this one..
nah... all evening it won't let me upload a pic....
prospero... you suckMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
lol
Err, lol @ Propesro sux, not the F##d.
Edited 8/30/2002 12:25:52 AM ET by Qtrmeg
I used to have signs on my truck for 5 years - during that time I received one phone call from my sign - to tell me I had a tail light out...
However I do beleive that it added legitamacy to my work/business. Working in upscale neighborhoods you need a good truck - leaking oil and dropping rust in a customers driveway doesn't look good.
There are several businesses around here that use vintage vehicles as part of their trademark/image. Quite prominent is Kavanagh Roofing, who feature trucks from the 40's/50's, including their heavy trucks..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
perhaps the trucks you see are not those of contractors but tradesman. I have a sign on my truck--the people who work for me don't and you can't hardly tell out trucks apart
I agree entirely with the above, yr truck tells a lot about you if its at least "Business looking" and not a piece of shirt, go ahead an put a sign on it
we have two groups of trucks, those with signs and those without. Because of liability some do not have signs, also on some jobs we do not want every person calling the office asking, what are you doing? Why did you cut that tree down? etc.
Then we have those trucks that go into chemical pants, paper mill, military bases. Those must have signs for security reason. But because my truck has a sign, I cannot speed or take long lunches or drive on weekends.
Just a thought, but how much are those magnetic signs which you just slap on & off the side panels? Might be a acceptable compromise between visible & invisible. Theresa Cowtown information junkie...
Good idea. And hey, if you feel the need to drive rudely, carry an extra magnetic sign with a competitor's name on it to swap out beforehand.
(Ducking quickly to avoid being pelted with rotten produce, she exits, stage left.)
"A completed home is a listed home."
Interesting comment on magnetic truck signs.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=20030.4
Edited 8/28/2002 4:17:38 PM ET by Uncle Dunc
I think mine cost $25 a set. We got 3 or 4 sets around, but not on trucks. One set is on a fridge in the shop. One is covering a cold air return in my basement in the winter, the others must be lost. Alsides gives them away, but you have to buy their products(and they say alsides on the bottom)
We have yard signs for the bigger jobs, but for the most part, I don't want to advertise. We are busy enough, no need making the waiting list longer, and my blood pressure higher.
I have a 1985 F-350 with bed liner and lumber rack. It's in quite good shape for its age. No signs, because I'm not in business. I'm just remodeling my own place. I bought it used and will probably sell it when I'm done for a net cost far less than renting trucks would have been. So far, the stepkids have borrowed it to move furniture, but nobody's tried to hire me as a contractor.
-- J.S.
I onced talked to a first time client on the telephone to set up an appointment at thier house at thier request . They asked me not to come in my company truck because they had nosey neighbors and they didnt want to have to answer a bunch of questions . II
There's a theory in the marketing business (my profession) that says put your business name and TOWN on your truck, but not your phone number.
A couple reasons why... First, it's hard for people who see you in traffic to remember a phone number. But they can remember "Smith Builders from Shady Grove" and look the number up in the phone book when they get home.
The second part of the theory is based on people who like to complain about driving. If you cut someone off and your number is on the side of your truck, that someone may call you (or your boss) to complain. With no phone number, they're less likely to go thru the trouble of looking you up.
"There's a theory in the marketing business (my profession) that says put your business name and TOWN on your truck, but not your phone number."
While it is true that it might be hard to catch the phone number when I see a sign like that I wonder what they are trying to hide. Do they have to keep changing phone number to stay ahead of bill collectors?
Bill, I work full time for a utility company. We have gone from four square signage with phone numbers to two side only without phone numbers in the past couple of years. I have ask why on several occassion, but have been given no reasonable answers.
My theory is that we are almost in the catagory of a public ennemy. When we had 4 sq. signage, I could count on two things almost every time I got in a truck; 1. someone was going to cut me off or do something equally stupid, and 2, if I made the smallest error, someone would call in and complain about truck# xxx.
I drive a company vehicle home for two weeks at a time because I am "on call". Even with only small sign on the sides, I fell like a target for those two weeks.
I use magnetic signs on my personal truck when I am working one of my remodeling jobs. My insurance rates are reflected by the part tine nature of my business, and I manage to keep them below a full time commercial rate by not using the signs when I am not actually working a job. It reduces my adverting profile, but most of my work is by word of mouth referance anyway.
Dave
Dave
A major utility company is different. That company is already known. You only need to log the truck. Likewise a company that only works with commerial or industrial companies does not need to have detailed signage.
But if I see a truck parked at a neighbors that has a generic looking "Joes Construction" with no phone number on it I will be watch carefully to see if it is really ####construction company or possible someone using a truck backed to to the garage door to break into the house.
(There was a rash of those about 5 years ago. No body knew anything until the truck pulled out and their was a big hole in the garage door.)
Around here, Florida, I have been told by my boss that the company name and license number/s have to be posted prominently on the sides of the truck. It is supposedly so that potential customers and the inspectors can check to make sure that people doing work in the area are properly licensed. No choice to it, required.
Unfortunately the builders and their associations have the inspectors on the ropes politically so this rule is, from what I hear, seldom enforced.