Need Help SEMI truck 53 feet- How much should i charge it?

[ARGENTO]

Hello Everyone!

I am in South Florida -very difficult market- and i just got ahead of me what could be my first Semi-truck full Wrap.

I would be doing it with Avery Cast ...with Cast lamination.
the design is very very simple, just the brand and slogan.

But i wanted to know how should i price this job, because frankly i have never done something as big.
I told the customer to expect at least $5000

The customer said it is about 53 feet semi.

Could you guys help me out. so i do not talk crap?



Thank you!

Leandro

 

[JTBoh]

Unless you have a bay big enough for a semi, you're gonna be installing big cast panels in the sun, in Florida. Account for waste because it's probably going to happen.
Rivets will be a PITA if you've never worked them.
That number you said, started with 5... I'd look to double it.

 

[bannertime]

You could probably sell them a banner frame kit for about that much and then sell them on being able to change it out much cheaper.

 

[eahicks]

$5000? That's less than $6/sf installed. $12-15/sf is moderate pricing for that kind of job. I'd go even higher if it's a fully riveted trailer.
I also assume the back doors too?

 

[Bigdawg]

Unless you have a bay big enough for a semi, you're gonna be installing big cast panels in the sun, in Florida. Account for waste because it's probably going to happen.
Rivets will be a PITA if you've never worked them.
That number you said, started with 5... I'd look to double it.

I'll second that. Especially if it is dark colors. My first "outdoor" wrap was solid black with white copy and a couple pictures. The trailer wouldn't fit in the bay, so we decided to do it outside. Not a good idea! The hot Florida sun makes vinyl stretches in ways you can't even imagine...

 

[bannertime]

I'll second that. Especially if it is dark colors. My first "outdoor" wrap was solid black with white copy and a couple pictures. The trailer wouldn't fit in the bay, so we decided to do it outside. Not a good idea! The hot Florida sun makes vinyl stretches in ways you can't even imagine...

Another reason why a banner frame system would be easier. Plus it wouldn't be that much more than the estimated $5k.

 

[ARGENTO]

Thank You Very Much Guys!

Your responses are guiding me in the right direction.

I am planning to do the job at the company's bay...so install would be done properly, not under the sun.

I already explained the customer that 5k would be a partial wrap job.
And the full 53ft semi totally wrapped would go for about 15K.
Following your advices.
I would also pay a professional installer to do the job, as i "help him"

I keep reading...I do not stop learning with such cool people as you guys.

South Florida is a difficult place to be now a days....quality of jobs is horrendous....and prices are really low.
Don't even mention "design" which is really really horrible.
For instance....i know people doing full wraps of Vans as an Ford E-250 , For $1500.

The other day I quoted an adult day care Schoolie full wrap with Avery CAst.....$2400

When i went back to check the owner of the Adult day care...told me I was EXTREMELY expensive....and i saw the job they made for her...with horrible design...and it seemed to be done with calendered vinyl. She said that SHE paid $1200.

Miami is full of Idiots. Please save me.

 

[ARGENTO]

Another reason why a banner frame system would be easier. Plus it wouldn't be that much more than the estimated $5k.

Thank you man!
I am seriously considering this option also.

 

[Jester1167]

If it is a brand name and a slogan, you might want to think about cut vinyl. If the graphics are solid colors and it's only a couple of colors that will be faster and cheaper. If it has a gradient or a lot of colors print cut will be cheaper and easier depending on how large the graphics are. At some point it makes more sense to wrap the whole thing.

I would be surprised if they were willing to pay more than $10 per square foot for that much vinyl and a lot less in S. Florida, but get what you can. It's better for all of us.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Don’t worry Argento. Those idiots will take themselves out for you. Just too bad they screw it up for the professionals

Also the client must not care about their business if it was a poor design and poor quality product and install. Just looking for the cheapest....

 

[Gino]

Don’t worry Argento. Those idiots will take themselves out for you. Just too bad they screw it up for the professionals

Also the client must not care about their business if it was a poor design and poor quality product and install. Just looking for the cheapest....

The problem with that thinking is quite simple. Sure, the immediate guys will go outta business, but there will be two more pop up, for every one that goes out. It's been that way, since the early 90s.

Heck, all ya hafta do, is look around here at s101. There are far more unexperienced and hacks on this forum, than craftsman. Y'all wanna teach them, which is fine and dandy, but in your next breath, you condemn them.

Which is it ?? Ya can't have it both ways.

 

[CL Visual]

I need to move because there is not a snowball's chance in hell that a 53' goes for 15k in NY. If using a film laminated cast film, you can get about 8500-9500 for it plus art. You'll pay out about 2000 in labor and material, print, and finishing should cost you about 2500-3000 if you're doing it all yourself. We do tons of these all over the country and thats the going rate. Could you get more? Maybe. Is 60% gross margin decent on a 1000ft job? I think so.

 

[CSOCSO]

ask if the trailer is corrugated or flat with rivets. I totally feel you about the pricing down in south florida. It's ridiculous

 

[BUCKY]

ask if the trailer is corrugated or flat with rivets. I totally feel you about the pricing down in south florida. It's ridiculous

Exactly. This makes a big difference in installation time which is important when you are in a competitive market.
Also, please clarify what you are saying about a "full semi wrap" being $15000. Are you doing the semi truck also? If so that would make more sense but if
you are talking about just the trailer I would agree with CL.... you are way off.

 

[Patentagosse]

Around here in eastern part of Canada, you probably can get full wrap fleet trailers for 4500$ (flat) to 6500$ (rivets) and I guess 7000-7500$ corrugated
In Avery or 3M cast with fleet liquid laminate... I know it's very low...

 

[Patentagosse]

There's like 3-4 major players in our market and I know some use HP TurboJet + UV laminate which means they can print / laminate the whole unit (53ft ---> around 920sq.ft) in less than an hour... Not a market for me with my VS540 (Roland)... When I have request for trailers, I hire 'em and just collect my profit.

 

[ARGENTO]

Thank You everyone!
All your words have helped me a ton.

After all I ask the customer 10k for the job.
Flat with ribbets- 53 feet semi.

Let's see if they do it....or they go look for price price price....until someone does it for 4k with calendered vinyl.

Thanks Again guys!

 

[jfiscus]

I'm betting they're gonna laugh at 10-15k. I know the cost of living is different there, but a 53' semi with rivets should be around $6,000 using 3M Cast material.

 

[signman315]

I need to move because there is not a snowball's chance in hell that a 53' goes for 15k in NY. If using a film laminated cast film, you can get about 8500-9500 for it plus art. You'll pay out about 2000 in labor and material, print, and finishing should cost you about 2500-3000 if you're doing it all yourself. We do tons of these all over the country and thats the going rate. Could you get more? Maybe. Is 60% gross margin decent on a 1000ft job? I think so.

I'm near Syracuse/Albany NY and we regularly get roughly $15,000 for full wraps on 53' trailers w/ rivets or flex seams. Every low ball, garage shop, competitor that pops up can't serve the needs of big customers like this and we aren't hurt by all these little pop ups. Actually I love the low quality low ballers, they chase the work right into my hands. Example: a local screen/embroidery shop was outsourcing their vehicle graphics to us, after a while they bought a Roland/laminator/plotter thinking they would stop outsourcing to us....initially I was butt hurt because I always took good care of them. 2 months later their Roland is printing bumper stickers and they are still outsourcing their vehicle to us, more than ever. 2 years later they are still outsourcing to us and we don't have to do the leg work or design...and we don't offer any discounts to them. We are now doing more of their work than ever lol! Just one of many similar examples. A lot of "sign shops" these days are a person at a desk funneling the real work to companies like us. It's a manufacturing consolidation of sorts, and the desk shops are more like sales reps that we don't have to hire, fire, insure, pay, etc!

We do at least one or two 53' wraps a year, often more, completely in house, no outsourced installs, using 3m180/8520. We also ship comparable graphic kits to the midwest for installation out there and we've had customers compliment us on the price and quality...one customer specifically mentioned that they received multiple quotes (nationally) and ours was the lowest at $15,000. Two installers get them done in about 4 business days. We just quoted a 30 trailer job at these rates. South Florida sounds harsh but in my market if you do good work customers will eventually recognize and pay for it. We find our bread and butter project types and push them instead of trying to take on all the crazy one offs that burn your time/money for little to no profit or good will. Thankfully the race to the bottom hasn't hit us yet,11 years and counting!

 

[Gino]

Your experiences, 315, may be what you say, but it's certainly not the norm. Over the years doing vans, pickups and graduating to 48' and 53' semi's has been a little difficult. There's not much money in this area to support trucks. We had one company we were dong the trailers and getting a nice buck, (not near $15,000), but along comes a company from outta this country and offers the prints for their fleet at around $2,000 per truck and they install them for $900 a truck. I forget the name of the company, but they are from Canada. When you look at the quality, its basically perfect and these trucks have rivets and lots of them. Two guys show up and do 2 trailers a day, and sometimes get a third one under way. That's 2 and a half trailers a day or $2,250 a day on installation(s). They have I think several crews and they just travel the country down here putting out the work like crazy. There is no sense racing to the bottom, so we focus more on the people who do and can spend a decent buck on vehicles and other signs. That's not many, but not in the wrap field.