Truck Wraps
We are the specialists in business printing
XPRESS PRINT SOUTH AFRICA
Truck Wraps
★What Are Truck Wraps?
Truck wraps take your advertising on the move. They are large vinyl decals and graphics fitted to the outside of a business’s vehicles, printed with branded messages that spread the word about your company.
A wrap can cover every inch of a truck’s exterior without getting in the way of a driver’s view. It can also cover just a section of the vehicle. Either way, the wrap is designed to suit the size and shape of your trucks, so your message looks eye-catching and professional. Your logo, colour scheme and text will be on show for drivers throughout the day.
Beyond making a vehicle look good, a truck wrap is also a way for your company to show the public its values and personality. The images and wording you pick can tell people what your business is about and which services you offer.
Vehicle wraps often feature a clever tagline, a range of products, your contact details, iconic imagery and a logo. You can create a wrap that is fully tailored to help you meet your marketing goals.
✔How Long Does a Wrap Last on a Truck?
Truck wraps are built for long-term use, but many companies like to swap out their graphics to refresh their messages or visuals before the wrap itself needs replacing.
Vehicle wraps can last up to five years, but as a rule of thumb, they should be replaced every three years. Changing wraps every few years lowers the chance of residue building up on the vinyl and helps keep the paint underneath in good condition. Truck wraps from Xpress Print come with a three-year warranty. Window graphics come with a one-year warranty, as the perforations in window film are more prone to peeling.
How long a truck wrap lasts depends on factors such as the quality of the materials, the quality of the installation and how well you look after the wrap. Truck wraps from Xpress Print use solvent long-life inks and are laminated with a UV protector, helping them stay vibrant for as long as possible.
⚙Who Can Benefit From Truck Wraps?
Plenty of people can benefit from truck wraps. If you own company trucks, or your staff drive their own trucks for work, it’s worth considering custom graphics for those vehicles. Examples of people and companies that could make good use of truck wraps include:
- Logistics companies: Whether they move products across the country or deliver to people’s homes, logistics firms can travel in style and gain exposure by wrapping their delivery vehicles. Consumer brands that ship their own products can also brand their trucks.
- Food trucks: For food trucks, bold graphics are essential. Your food truck wrap can showcase your brand and display your menu. If you change menu items or prices, you can cover parts of the graphic to update the information.
- Trades: Plumbers, electricians, cable installers, roofers, landscapers and other tradespeople can give their pickup trucks a professional look and advertise their services with custom graphics. If you drive a van, take a look at our van wraps.
- Construction companies: No construction fleet is complete without at least one road-going truck, so why not make it a bold advert for your building services? When it’s parked at a job site, people in the area will see who is hard at work and may call you to ask for a quote.
- Individuals: You don’t need to run a business with professional trucks to get a custom wrap. Individuals can personalise their truck with their own text, colours and designs. If you love your truck, why not give it the personal touch it deserves and make it stand out on the road or at your next tailgate party?
💡Why Are Truck Wraps Right for Your Company?
Truck wraps may sound appealing, but you might still wonder whether they are worth the money. Whether you run a fleet of trucks or only use one or two, you can still get a great deal of value from them.
The following are some of the main benefits that make commercial truck wraps a smart investment for your business:
🎯1. They Enhance Your Professional Image
If you use your company trucks to travel to jobs or transport goods, you want them to give a professional impression to anyone who sees them. Why settle for plain white lorries or solid-coloured pickups when you could have a branded fleet that looks far more polished?
This is especially important for new businesses that want to appear legitimate and trustworthy. When you pull into a client’s driveway or arrive at a loading dock for the first time, your truck can help create a positive first impression.
🚀2. They’re Cost-Effective
When deciding whether an advertising method suits a company, cost is always a major concern. Fortunately, truck wraps offer an excellent return on investment.
Of all advertising types, fleet wraps often provide the lowest cost per impression. Some studies have found that the cost per impression can be as low as four cents per thousand views, which is very affordable compared with other methods such as outdoor signs or newspaper adverts.
With such low costs, truck wraps are arguably one of the most affordable marketing options available to companies with a fleet. Your message can reach thousands of viewers every day for a modest price.
📋3. They Allow You to Advertise on the Road
Many people spend a lot of time on the road and in their cars each day. The average commute is 26 minutes one way, and people generally drive 37 miles a day.
With people on the road so much, you will miss out on a large audience if you decide not to use truck wraps. Say your company has semi-trucks that cover hundreds of miles every day. A semi-truck wrap can carry your message across the country, opening up new markets and helping your business become a national name.
If you’re a local business whose trucks only travel around a city or region, commercial truck wraps are still an excellent option for smaller work vehicles. Your message will reach the community whenever your drivers are out on the road. A wrap can double the value of your work trucks: they already serve a practical purpose, and the wrap adds marketing value on top.
🌟4. They Can Increase Brand Familiarity
As you work to get your company’s name out there and attract new business, truck wraps can help build brand familiarity with your audience. The more people see your name and imagery on the road, the more likely they are to see your brand as trustworthy and consider working with you.
Because brand recognition matters so much, many companies use truck wraps to spread their brand. Of all the ways a company can get its message out, a truck wrap is one of the best, as it catches the attention of a lot of drivers. It’s also an unusual medium, so it’s likely to stand out when a colourful display appears among all the neutral-coloured vehicles around it.
📌5. They Work for All Company Sizes
You might think fleet truck wraps are only meant for large companies with several trucks, but even the smallest businesses can benefit. If you rent your work vehicles rather than owning them, you may still be allowed to put an easily removable decal on them.
If your business has one or two trucks, the benefit of having even a single wrapped truck on the road can outweigh the cost. A truck wrap can generate enough attention to make a single wrap worthwhile.
Wraps can also go on people’s personal vehicles. Some savvy companies have made use of the gig economy by paying everyday people to have a vehicle wrap fitted to their cars. Much like a branded T-shirt for your car, the driver carries your message wherever they go. Even the smallest businesses can make a big impression on potential clients or customers.
✅6. They Can Refresh the Look of Older Trucks
If your company owns older trucks, they may be starting to show signs of age and wear. To keep your image professional and up to date, you can use a wrap to make a truck look fresh again. The wrap covers blemishes, so the truck can hit the road without you worrying that its appearance will reflect poorly on your company.
A vehicle wrap costs far less than a new truck, so why not give your existing trucks a facelift and keep making the most of their functionality until it’s really time to upgrade? You could repaint them, but truck wraps have a clear advantage: they turn your trucks into branded vehicles that actively advertise your company.
🛠7. They’re Easy to Update as Needed
Fleet wraps are durable, but at times your company will want to update its graphics. Unlike other graphics, fleet wraps can be removed or customised quickly. If only a small change is needed, you can swap out individual panels to add new information or make other design tweaks. If vinyl changes are needed across a larger section of the wrap, you can use graphic overlays, which add small labels over the original panels.
Graphic overlays and small panel changes can be valuable in several situations, including:
- Information change: If your company’s details change for any reason, it’s important to update them on your truck. Keeping your phone number, address, website or email address current means people can get in touch if they like what they see. Rather than redoing your entire fleet’s wraps, you can update just the parts of the wrap that show the information that needs changing.
- Tweaks to logo and graphics: Whenever you change your logo or graphics, your trucks should reflect the change too. An outdated logo or graphic can confuse viewers about your company’s image and hurt brand recognition.
- Panel damage: As trucks are always on the go, panels will occasionally get damaged. When minor damage occurs, such as a scratch or discolouration on a panel, a fresh panel can replace the damaged one quickly.
When small changes aren’t an option, a truck wrap can be removed entirely. The wrap’s warranty will usually cover the cost of removal.
📈Tips for Truck Wraps
If you’re thinking about adding commercial truck wraps or semi-truck wraps to your fleet or a single vehicle, there are some basic tips to keep in mind:
★1. Keep the Design Simple
Since your truck and other vehicles on the road will often be travelling at speed, you don’t want your truck wrap to be overly complicated. Keeping the design simple helps you communicate with other drivers effectively.
Companies commonly include their slogan, logo, name, website and phone number on their truck wrap. This content is usually all you need for an effective design. Plenty of empty space is a good thing, as it makes the wrap easier to read and draws attention to the important information.
✔2. Design for All Angles
Because wraps turn your truck into a display, you need to consider each side of the vehicle separately, so that no matter which angle someone views it from, they’ll learn something about your company. Your design can wrap around the truck, but each side should make sense visually on its own.
You can choose smaller decals that only cover part of the truck, but think about the extra impact you can have when your truck speaks to viewers from every angle. For example, a driver behind one of your trucks in traffic will only see your wrap if it extends to the back of the vehicle.
Make sure your design works around features such as headlights and doors so they don’t disrupt it. Keep text like contact information in clearly visible spots on the truck.
⚙3. Adhere to Vehicle Laws
With vehicle wraps, you need to follow any national or local laws that govern displays on vehicles and driver visibility. This mainly matters if you’re wrapping the windows as well as the body of the truck. Some areas prohibit window coverings, even those designed to offer one-way vision for drivers.
Understanding the legal limits you have to work within is an important first step, so you can then design a wrap that complies with the law and is as effective as possible.
💡4. Let a Professional Install Your Wraps
It’s best not to try to fit a fleet wrap to your vehicle yourself. Instead, a professional who has been trained and certified to install truck wraps should do the job.
A professional will have the specialist tools, such as scalpels, adhesion tools and custom scissors, needed to fit the wrap properly. They will also know how to apply it so it’s airtight, preventing bubbles or wrinkles. Installing a truck wrap properly takes practice and can take hours. Rather than risk a poor installation, hire a professional to make sure the wrap looks as good and lasts as long as possible.
🎯5. Gently Wash the Wraps
Although fleet wraps are built to withstand the elements, you should still wash them with care if you want them to last. When they get dirty, your best option is to hand wash them. This lets you remove grime and dirt as gently as possible. When washing a wrap, use mild soap and a soft cloth rather than harsh chemicals, hard scrubbers or solvents.
If your company puts its trucks through automatic car washes, choose the gentlest cycle available. Wraps should never be cleaned with a pressure washer. Also, after a vehicle has been wrapped, wait a week or two before washing or rinsing it.
Turning your creative ideas into reality is our speciality.
We can help with every part of your business's needs, whether that means building a new brand identity or a set of business stationery, planning your next marketing campaign, producing large banners or posters, or designing your annual report.
Thinking of wrapping your vehicle or fleet?
Whether you run one truck or a whole fleet, a truck wrap is a great way to spread your brand’s message. Your truck keeps doing its job while also becoming a moving advert that really works. If you want your truck wraps to leave a lasting impression on everyone who sees them, Xpress Print is ready to help.
We're your go-to print experts for business
At Xpress Print, we’ve spent 10 years in the print industry, earning a name for quick, personal service and high-quality printing and design. Our printing facilities, design expertise and service standards have helped thousands of businesses grow. With Centres across the country, there’s a print specialist near you.
info@expressprint.co.za
067 741 0422
