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For a typical courier driver who is also a self-employed businessperson, their vehicle is a ready-made advertising platform. So, why aren’t you using it as such? Glossy Vehicles There’s nothing new in splashing your company name, and even proposition, across your vehicle. People have been doing it for well over a century. The problem for many a self-employed courier driver has of course always been cost. Sign writers and coachwork painters typically don’t come cheap, and sometimes just putting your name on the side of the vehicle almost required a second mortgage. If that wasn’t bad enough, the residual value of the vehicle could be affected. If you’ve ever had experience of trying to sell a van with a company logo painted on the side, then you’ll know all about that! Some people did get creative and tried fixing advertising boards to the side of their vehicle, but clamps and bits of wire securing things don’t exactly look elegant or professional. Drilling holes in the side of a van for fixings also isn’t likely to endear it to buyers in future either. Fortunately, things have changed. The new approach is called ‘livery wraps’. Technology The basic idea here is simple. You basically design a logo and advertising schema on a computer, print it off onto transparent film then stick the film to the vehicle concerned. It’s not a million miles away from the old transfers that we all used as kids. The colour schemes and complexities of design are breath-taking. The wraps are usually designed to last 5-10 years and are fully weather resistant. Most importantly: they can be removed - and without any damage to your paintwork. Almost inevitably, the typical courier driver is bound to be thinking a) what’s the cost and b) what’s the catch. The answers are easy: a) about £700-£1000 for a typical vehicle and b) there isn’t one! The only real limitation is that some solution providers recommend that you wash your car or van only by hand to avoid risking damage to the wrap. Oh yes, the supplier will also need to keep your vehicle for a couple of days when first fitting the design to it. Keeping Things in Context Fantastic as this approach is - and the results are typically VERY impressive - do keep in mind a few basics: • You can only apply this to a vehicle you own. Don’t even think about it with a leased vehicle - unless you have the leasing company’s permission in advance. If your vehicle is being purchased on some form of financial loan deal, it might be sensible to seek the lender’s permission in advance too. • If you’re contracted permanently or semi-permanently to a customer, remember that your contract may explicitly prohibit you from offering your advertising materials to the sites you visit. That might include vehicle advertising. • Advertising your company name on a vehicle that’s in otherwise tatty and poor visual appearance might achieve exactly the opposite of your objective. Make sure the appearance of your vehicle is excellent before applying your company’s name and details to it. • Look for lifetime guarantees from the wrap service provider. For the typical owner-operator courier driver though, this is a very real prospect that justifies further research. Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier driver work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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