To get things rolling, you got to haul it.
Spend any amount of time on an interstate or a two lane highway and you’ll see the American dream rolling down the road racking up the miles and keeping this country moving. The over the road trucks are always working… and with every one of those trucks, there’s a story. I think that’s what I love most about lettering and striping the BIG trucks… the story. From the time we start talking to the time we finish, the owners and drivers of these trucks are always so engaged in the process… the design, the colors and the positioning of where everything goes. And then there’s the personalization, as in the names or nicknames of the drivers. And when the job is done… you can see the excitement and pride on their face. They know that when they climb in and head out, that their rig is looking good and it will define their personality out there on the road. It’s these drivers who will spend their days and nights behind the wheel out on the open road. These men and women that weave their way across the country making sure that whatever they’re hauling gets to its destination on time and in the same condition as when it was loaded on the truck.
That brings me to my inspiration for this story. In 2017, we had the pleasure of being introduced to Terry Aslinger of Terry’s Truck & Transport Trailer Sales / EZ Livin Express, LLC. We were working on a custom stripe restoration project and Terry saw what we did and asked if we would be interested in taking a look at a project that he had in the works… and that’s when it all started. You see, Terry’s story is somewhat un-typical when you think of a typical “Trucking Company” story. Terry was putting in double shifts at his job and it didn’t take long for him to realize that if he wanted to be able to provide for his family, then he was going to have to make a big change. His family had history in the car sales business but he didn’t think that was the path for him… kind of. So back in 1998 he had a plan. However, he needed a truck and trailer to execute. So, he took every dime he had and went to the bank. He struck out on round one but the second bank he talked to said that they would back him. He was so excited that the next morning he put in his two weeks’ notice and that’s when it got interesting. The same day that he gave his notice, the bank called him back and wanted to clarify that they would give him the money as long as he kept his regular job. This is when Aslinger really had to go to “work”. He immediately scheduled a meeting with the bank to state his case… if you want me to be able to pay you back, I have to make money with my truck and I can’t make money with my truck if I’m working at a job and not using it! His logic was clear and the bank gave him the green light to pursue his dream. His idea was that he could haul cars for car dealers and that’s what he did. Even though things didn’t happen overnight, the more he worked at it, the more business rolled in. Now his company is hauling large commercial vehicles and used cars all over the country. Eventually his grandpa, father, and son got involved and things have been moving down the road ever since. Terry has a unique sense of how he wants each truck to look so taking his creative ideas and running with them is a lot of fun!
For Aslinger and other trucking companies — lettering, striping, and all of the trucks identification numbers are usually on the bill, and that’s what we do well. Main Street Signs has seen thousands of trucks since we started in 1989 so we have a good handle on what works and what doesn’t. If you’re a trucking company or your company has trucks (or any type of vehicle), displaying your company’s logo on them is a cost effective way to communicate your brand and if it’s a commercial vehicle for hire, you need to clearly display your compliance numbers. If vehicles are a part of your business, now might be a good time to start the conversation about telling your story.
Follow us on Facebook…. www.facebook.com/mainstreetsign/ or call us at 573-547-8075.