Workplace Safety

Signs of the Times

Still painting your name on your truck?

You need to know about the many advantages of vinyl signs.

Whether the next sweeper you buy is a brand new model or has been previously owned, you will immediately be faced with the prospect of posting your company name, address, logo, etc. proudly and prominently on its side.

The quality you choose for your 'moving billboard' can pay you big dividends. Research by the American Trucking Association has shown that a local delivery truck makes a whopping 16 million visual impressions per year; 91% of us notice the words and pictures displayed on trucks; 75% develop an impression about the company and its products; and 29% say that they would base a buying decision on the perception they get from the vehicle. In recent years putting words on vehicles using a relatively new material - vinyl - has become a big business. With exposure to the advantages vinyl can bring, it's easy to see why.

Part of the reason for the vinyl industry's upswing is the capability of today's computer graphics scanners. It is the combination of this material and computer technology that have made possible the huge, totally realistic signs that grace many of the semi-trailers we now see on the nation's highways-Burger King, Pepsi, Goodyear, Hardees and Keebler, to name a few.

There are three major companies which seem to dominate the market: 3-M, Fasson and Arlon. Although each of the products is competitive with the others, 3-M has carved out the largest following among the several large commercial sign companies we spoke to for this article.

One of the key advantages cited for vinyl signs over traditional painted signs is removability. With the use of special solvents they can be taken off up to seven years after application, and up to two years later with no special tools whatsoever. Either way, all the paint underneath the sign stays completely intact. That means you can remove your signs before you sell your sweeper.

There are at least two advantages to this. One is that a new owner will tend to pay more for a clean, sign-free piece of equipment. The other is that you can be sure that whoever buys it isn't operating it with your name on the side. Another advantage comes if you move your place of business, since you can easily change your truck signs without having to first re-paint the sheet metal underneath.

Another point in favor of putting your information onto vinyl, according to Lori Mark, Customer Support Coordinator for 3-M, is that vinyl products are more durable than paint and will keep their color longer. Using the 3-M system, she said, colors can also be matched more exactingly. Finally, and perhaps most significant for our industry, vinyl film is available in a variety of reflective styles and colors. Since much of sweeping is done at night, having a reflective name, logo, etc. is not only good for business visibility.

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