Advertising: A Growing 'Side' Business
Companies that operate delivery trucks in metropolitan areas own one of the hottest commodities in the advertising industry — a commodity so hot that some of the country’s largest advertisers, such as McDonald’s and Frito-Lay, have jumped on the bandwagon.
“Fleet graphics” — corporate branding on a carrier’s fleet or distributor-owned vehicles — has existed for more than 50 years as a cheap, effective form of advertising for truck owners.
But now, trucking companies are recognizing the value of placing someone else’s name on the sides of their vehicles — often local delivery trucks and in some cases long-haul rigs. This recent trend in outdoor advertising — the lease or rental of space on the outside of trucks — is commonly known as truckside advertising.
For the full story, see the Dec. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
 |  NUR America Inc. |
| Advertising on trucks that deliver in densely populated areas - like this Roadway Express truck in San Francisco - has become a less-expensive alternative to traditional billboards. |
“If you own a fleet and have a brand to sell, it makes sense to leverage the truck asset and advertise your company name and logo on your vehicles,” says John Kowieski, president of Modagrafics, a privately held corporation that specializes in designing, engineering, manufacturing and installing high-performance retail graphics. “It costs the truck owner nothing to place the ads, with the exception of production costs.”
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