Traditionally in the waste industry not all that much thought goes into what “stickers” to put on your trucks let alone the warning labels, such as “Warning Keep Clear of Tailgate at All Times”, 50 of which adorn a typical new truck. When it comes to decals, stickers and graphics on your fleet it is best to think of them not as stickers but rather a reflection of your business and brand. People judge brands by impressions and the performance your team delivers therefore, one of those impressions will be your trucks.
Branding Your Vehicle
Most waste operators spend a significant amount of time and dollars keeping their trucks clean. This is not because we all just love to wash these big behemoths but rather because operators recognize that their trucks are probably the most visible and frequently viewed representation of their brand to the customer.
The problem is stickers are often an afterthought and the longevity of them in the refuse industry is limited. There are lots of places you can buy all kinds of inexpensive standard stickers, such as the typical rear caution ones. However, the problem is that they may be cheap but they will not stand the test of time and look good doing it.
Branding your truck is of immense value, but only if it will enhance the image of your company and not degrade it by looking old, faded and worn out; a look none of us want when a customer first thinks about your business.
Your fleet is a huge financial and promotional opportunity for most operators. Think of these monsters as huge billboards roaming around the city. If you were to contract a billboard to advertise your business, you would likely be paying $2,000 to $3,000 a month for each billboard. Now look at your 50 trucks with that lens and branding your trucks equates to $100,000 to $150,000 a month in free advertising!
Look and Design
When thinking about decals for your fleet, first think about design. With the ability today to do very creative things with decals from spot graphics to full wraps, there are many options that were not previously available. This would include your company’s branding such as logos, brand promises and contact info along with attractive and colorful stripping and designs. The key to any design is to make your truck and business stand out from the crowd. This means an attractive and eye-catching design coupled with a clean truck. Luckily keeping graphics clean is made easier due to exotic materials such as BrandArmorTM polymer developed specifically for the refuse industry which allows for easy cleaning and long life. New highly reflective printable prismatic decals also allow for dramatic designs and greatly enhanced safety.
This innovative printing coupled with highly durable materials can create semi-permanent promotions that look great for the life of your truck. Even in the refuse environment decals done right can enhance and promote your brand for five to 10 years without the need for costly replacements. The old limited longevity decals are turned into permanent brand promotion. They will look great the day they are installed and continue to effectively promote your business for up to 10 years and every day your trucks will drive the streets of your town promoting your brand.
Jonathan Baltic is the Director of Business Development for TCS and inventor of the CleanShieldTM and BrandArmorTM product line. Jonathan is a serial entrepreneur having started and run a diverse collection of companies covering Brand Development, Municipal Economic Development, Golf Course Development, Real Estate Development, Municipal Wireless Deployment, Signage and Graphics, International Travel & Food & Wine. TCS is a nationwide large format digital printer with factories in three states serving the waste industry. Jonathan can be reached at (678) 385-2188 or e-mail Jonathanb@tcs.ink.
