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Truck Graphics and Wraps – Let’s Put the Advertising Space to Use!

Ever get stuck behind a commercial truck in traffic and stare at the same advertisement on the back door of that truck for over 15 minutes? Feel like you could be a spokesperson for that company because you know that ad so well? Then you have fallen into the very trap that we help set at Superior Signs and Graphics! We are experts at taking advantage of unused advertising space on commercial trucks and trailers and turning them into productive marketing tools.

Taking Advantage of the Advertising Space

Commercial trucks and trailers make great advertising tools because the ad space is so large and flat, allowing much larger and more complex vehicle advertising images and text to be used. Additionally, because of their size it is harder to not notice a commercial truck or trailer with a large colorful vehicle advertisement – it is “in-your-face” marketing!

Although the space is plentiful, it is important to ensure a solid design in a vehicle wrap or decal job on these trucks, as there are a lot of competitors for share of mind of the daily commuter. Our design staff are experts at maximizing space and using the right colors and fonts to pair with impactful images – ensuring the message the advertiser is sending is the message the customer gets!

Materials We Choose

Because of the flat vertical surfaces that we are typically dealing with when wrapping a trailer, we do not need to use a highly conformable wrap vinyl (think money savings!). Instead, we can use a high quality material for flat surfaces with moderate sized rivets like 3M’s IJ-40. This calendered vinyl is rated for up to 7 years use when mounted on vertical surfaces with a 3M UV protecting laminate. The material cost is roughly half of 3Ms cast wrap vinyl, resulting in a significant savings on these jobs. Our installation staff are highly skilled at applying the IJ-40 over rivets and minor obstacles like side door frames.

Some Truck Graphics Examples

Some of our favorite truck graphics are simple but impactful, and don’t have to be the most expensive solution to provide great advertising. Last summer we were asked to help with a failing wrap on a City of Buena Park stage trailer. The 53’ trailer is pulled by a semi-truck to the summer concerts in the park. The trailer opens up like a transformer into a stage and then can quickly be closed up again for travel and storage. When the manufacturers wrap failed after less than two years, we were called in to help. We used the existing design and replaced the graphics that were peeling with a new set and used extra adhesive on the seams to ensure that the wrap did not fail again. Our extra time spent prepping the surface after removing the old wrap was the difference versus the last installation that failed.

Another truck graphic job that we enjoyed was for Westransco in Anaheim, CA. They had a 37’ box truck that they used to service the China Lake Naval station, and wanted to add their company logo as well as do a tribute to their customer – the US Navy. We used the Westransco logo and two different Navy football player images to create graphic decals for the sides of the truck box. Our Graphic Designer took the player images and used a “breakout” graphic to make it look like the players were bursting out of the sides of the truck. We added “Go Navy!” lettering to complete the look. All of this was done for a reasonable cost as we did not have to wrap the entire truck.

Whatever your truck size, make, or model, we have a graphics solution to take advantage of the space you already own! Call Superior Signs and Graphics today at 714-739-2855 to get your truck graphics started!

Posted by Scott Hoffman on December 24, 2013