How long does it take you to letter a truck?

[Humble PM]

Oh that is a tough one. I guess on how off it is.

Might depend on how low they tried to get you to down to, while you said no.

 

[alilwahine]

3 days

Customer will show up 2 hours late, installers moved on to next project
The truck in the picture isn't the truck that was dropped off (no one questions it)
Tailgate vinyl is cut way too big (no one measured, just looked at a picture)
Customer calls the next day and says he has a different phone number, and since we are changing the phone number his wife wants it to be a different color.
Finally get the truck done, looks nothing like the proof or what the customer approved. Sits for 2 more days waiting for pick up.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Wow, y'all are always talking about how much ya pay your employees, then til ya add in overhead and insurances...... oh and taxes and all the other sh!t, your shop rate is only $85.00 an hour ??

If you count input on the computer, cutting, printing and weeding, then taping it all up and figuring out where it all goes, getting it straight on there shouldn't be a problem, but to each their own, ya'd be around 3 hours or so and with the h!t Factor included, about $415.00 + tx, That's all providing ya have no interruptions or you clock in & out for all kindsa other crap.

That's also for a clean truck coming in and all we hafta do is give it an alcohol bath.

I know a guy that can do that whole job in 3 minutes and charge $1200.... and he can take a picture of the clock to prove it.

 

[Bengt Backhaus]

Another thing I've found out in recent years is the use of glasses..... eye glasses

I haven't thought of that, but that explains a lot.
I see crooked things everywhere since i got bifocal glasses, but never made the connection!

But with longer installs i first measure, then step back to doublecheck and install it with markers along the way, so it doesn't really affect my work.

 

[Johnny Best]

So most of you are basing your time on, truck is clean, Layout where everything goes, vinyl all cut and transfer paper applied. When does that ever happen? “Oh, I can do that in 20 minutes with no measuring, been doing it for 20 years."

 

[kcollinsdesign]

The replies here have been interesting.

In the interest of full disclosure, the example in my reply is for installation only. Truck measurements and photos have already been taken, and a scale layout has been prepared. I take "straight-on" photos using a long lens (to minimize parallax distortion), run the images through perspective correction using Photoshop, the spend some time getting an acceptable layout. Once the layout is approved and the graphics are prepared I schedule the installation. The design costs and materials costs are marked up and added to the installation cost. Design and layout often take more time than the actual installation.

With the layout in hand, I tape the graphics up on the truck, then correct positioning. I usually try to have all the graphics "lock up" (all oriented on the same horizontal axis). The eye is drawn to the graphics, and having them all on different horizontal axis looks clumsy. The basis horizontal axis is determined by the lines of the truck, and everything else goes off that (some adjustments may have to be made, such as lines of text near the top of a pickup bed, where the text will look crooked if they don't line up with that strong horizontal). The eye is the final arbiter. Once I'm satisfied, I make small marks on the truck so I can remove the taped up graphics and register the graphics to the marks when applying. By the time I get around to applying the graphics, I don't have to think about where they go, and I can concentrate on a clean application.

Labor rates are determined by marking up the "burdened" cost of labor (actual pay plus payroll tax, workers comp, and general liability insurance). In general, that cost is usually around 30% of the ticket, materials 30%, overhead 20%, leaving a 20% net profit. The $85/hr rate I used in my example works for us in our lower cost of living market. If you live in a metro area you will likely need to charge more. That is a shop rate, our installers have a higher rate (their burdened cost is considerably more).

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

T

Labor rates are determined by marking up the "burdened" cost of labor (actual pay plus payroll tax, workers comp,

you can be unburdened by what has been

 

[Stacey K]

If I do the drivers door first, I will use a grease pencil and measure the distance top and bottom or left to the decal - or whatever my brain says is easiest - and I write it big enough on the finished door, take a photo and then I have the measurements for the passenger door. Or I write them on my hand or I walk back and forth a million times. Whatever the mood...there's a way LOL

 

[tulsagraphics]

So most of you are basing your time on, truck is clean, Layout where everything goes, vinyl all cut and transfer paper applied. When does that ever happen? “Oh, I can do that in 20 minutes with no measuring, been doing it for 20 years."

Sometimes, but after doing it for so many years I already have a good idea what my cost is on that type of job. No need to break out a calculator each time unless there are special circumstances -- like specialty films, multiple vehicles, etc.

I quote based on 7125 or IJ-180 unless there's a specification to match a client's requirement (e.g. University, franchise, etc). I won't cripple a job by subbing in "cheap" materials to save a few bucks. Price is based on similar jobs I've done in the past combined with a general sense of fair market value for that finished product. My quotes are little high anyway (to account for any unforeseen issues), but if the actual job uses less material or I can nest things for better efficiency, I'll discount the final invoice accordingly.

On a side note: Getting better, learning new techniques, streamlining workflows, etc... all those things add to my value. The pursuit of improving my skills is for my benefit and to improve profit margins. It's not for shrinking the number of billable hours I can generate, or figuring out ways to do a $500 job for $200 (which ultimately hurts our industry). In the sign biz... hourly shop rate isn't the issue... it's figuring out how to fill your day with billable hours. Sitting around writing up quotes is a non-billable time sink.