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Hello! Trucking company looking to do their own vinyl for trailers

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AceTrucking

New Member
Hello!

Found this site totally through chance searching online!

We're looking into getting into doing simple lettering for our trailers and trucks (simple fonts, numbers, PUC ID's and the sort). We're not looking to do much if any work for other people, but may make numbers upon request for other people's trucks we do work on (I guess, as we say, we're a repair shop, not a vinyl shop hehe)

We currently use a somewhat local shop, but the wait and pricing would be great to eliminate. They have been great to us, but as our area grows, they become stretched thin in terms of availability.

A typical trailer would use about 6 total yards of white scotchlite, all in big Rockwell Font, so nothing really heavy use as far as that's concerned. The PUC and numbers are again, just generic large font.


Anywho, just looking around at ideas. We're looking at something int he 15" range, and something in the 600-1000 price range. I see a bunch of lower priced plotters (master cut, pro cut, us cut) but am under the impression they would work equal to their price (as in, not very well).

Any help or direction is appreciated!

-Cody Ace
Ace Trucking and Repairs
 
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AceTrucking

New Member
beckys said:
Please support your local sign shop, we do not supply to non sign professionals!!
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We've delt with other Vinyl companies now for 10 years, and will continue to use them for the large scale advertisements and trailer detailing.

This is just for small stuff around the shop :D
 
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AceTrucking

New Member
I didn't think this would be such an un warm welcome :(

We've got an entire fleet of trucks and trailers to keep looking up to snuff, and thre are times where we need stuff ASAP before hitting the road (after repairs/painting etc etc) and our small town just doesn't have the local ability to support us at the moment everytime.

As with everything in life, not everyone gets to start at the top. I ca'nt predict and or determine how well this will work/take off for us.

Again, we're not a sign shop: We're a repair shop first.
 
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AceTrucking

New Member
Arlo Kalon said:
All "in a big Rockwell font"? There's a discrepancy already in your story.
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Not sure what you mean by that. We used to purchase vinyl strips, tape them out, and do it by hand. Once we discovered how easy vinyl was to use, we began using thta, and Rockwell font matched our initial design (50 years old) perfectly.
 
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AceTrucking

New Member
People come to our shop all the time and ask for advice and or repair help, or opinions on trucks/setups/service procedure.

We don't tell them to run away...you don't stay in business for a half a century chasing people away.

I was just looking for help, not to steal anyone's business.
 
Billct2

Billct2

Active Member
Ace,
I understand what you want to do, but I won't help.
What if I came to a trucking forum and said...
"I want to get a couple small rigs, nothing too big, maybe a couple box trucks, so we can do our own deliveries and maybe help out some of our customers with their trucking needs. Can you tell me what trucks would be the best to buy and maybe any thing else I'll need to know so I can successfully run my new trucking business? You know do I need a special license or anything?"
 
A

AceTrucking

New Member
Billct2 said:
Ace,
I understand what you want to do, but I won't help.
What if I came to a trucking forum and said...
"I want to get a couple small rigs, nothing too big, maybe a couple box trucks, so we can do our own deliveries and maybe help out some of our customers with their trucking needs. Can you tell me what trucks would be the best to buy and maybe any thing else I'll need to know so I can successfully run my new trucking business? You know do I need a special license or anything?"
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We got phone calls like this all the time, and asist and or opint people in the right direction. (We do MillVans/Box Trailers, and people don't know the difference with refrig trailers, and or open deck, etc etc)
 
Fred Weiss

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
Unfortunately, you evidently did not understand when you registered that Signs 101 is a web community of professional sign businesses and others who are interested in learning the craft. I don't think you will get much help here because your goals are the opposite of ours.

Thread closed.
 
300mphGraphics

300mphGraphics

New Member
AceTrucking said:
I didn't think this would be such an un warm welcome :(
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Ace, please realize what you are asking and to whome. No different than if we went on a trucking forum and asked how we could cut out the truckers delivering our product. Thanks and happy trucking.

I thought obvious non-sign companies were going to get caught at registration?
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
Well, you walked right into the dog pound wearing milk bone underwear didn't you!

You would think there was some kind of Vinyl Union or something the way non-professionals get ripped up here.

The fact is that you have a business, and want to be able to do work in-house instead of jobbing it out. I have a trophy store. I got tired of jobbing out prints, for many of the same reasons, and bought a printer. Now signs are 65% of my business. What's the difference?? Just don't make any peeing calvins or stick familys. Ya gotta swear!

I'd spend the money and get a Graphtec CE5000 24" plotter, a set of app tape holders from Henry Goines, a big smooth work table, and a "Big Squeegee" from Dale if you ever do flat work.

I used my 38" squeegee on a cargo trailer this weekend to apply a 24x48 decal and it went down FAST and smooth!

Face it... YOU are a Sign Professional now!
 
Fred Weiss

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
300mphGraphics said:
Ace, please realize what you are asking and to whome. No different than if we went on a trucking forum and asked how we could cut out the truckers delivering our product. Thanks and happy trucking.

I thought obvious non-sign companies were going to get caught at registration?
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As was posted among the many posts recently by me, our screening does not go beyond looking for spammers, scammers and miscreants. That may change at a certain point as we carry out the first phase of changes already discussed.

What needs to be understood is that Ace Trucking was given the benefit of the doubt based on the information he supplied because he is not a threat to this site. In fact, I can point to a local sign company here in my area who is extremely capable and successful and well respected that is owned by a truck and trailer business.

My position is that it's a mistake to prejudge who people are before they make themselves clear. There is also a continuing issue of people misunderstanding the nature of this community which we will attempt to rectify in the near future.
 
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