I've been putting changeable sign frames on refuse trucks since 1987, working with fleets and body builders like Labrie, McNeilus, Heil, and Amrep. In 39 years, I've never come across a truck I couldn't put a frame on.

Whether you're ordering new refuse trucks or adding signage to vehicles already in service, a little planning can make installation easier. Where the frame goes, how it mounts, and whether you can use the same size across the fleet are all worth thinking through before the first hole gets drilled.

Include Signage in the Truck Body Order

If you want frames on the next trucks you order, put them in the specs. That's all the body builder needs from the city. The order should include:

• The frame size
• Where it goes on the body and whether it's one side or both
• How it mounts (rivets or bolts)
• Whether the builder installs it or it's added after delivery

Most sign suppliers will send a spec sheet for their frames. If you need a different size, they can adjust the sheet to fit the body.

Choosing the Right Location for Truck-Side Signage

We try to center the frame on the side of the body. I wouldn't put one on the rear, especially on rear loaders where the clam opens up and down.

Decide early whether you want one side or both. Some cities change things on the second order. They go from a single-sided panel to double-sided, or they realize they'd rather have it on the curb side instead of the street side, or vice versa.

Match the Sign Frame Mounting to the Truck Body

Bolts with lock nuts usually go on trash bodies with smooth sides, mostly front loaders. Rivets are very handy on bodies that have an exoskeleton. In other words, a rib or a flat part you can pop the rivet into.

When we drill into the body for bolts, we seal the hole with silicone. That keeps out rust and leaks of any type.

Retrofitting Sign Frames on Existing Refuse Trucks

The same rules apply to a refuse truck that's already in service: Center it on the side, keep it off the rear, and match the mounting to the body.

For a fleet with a mix of model years and body builders, we start with a site inspection. We look at every body style in the fleet and try to come up with one generic frame that fits them all. One size across the fleet isn't required, but it does make printing panels a lot easier because every panel fits every truck.

Repairing and Reusing Truck Sign Frames

Frames very rarely get hit by anything other than trees or buildings. If one vertical or horizontal piece gets damaged, replace just that piece. If two or more pieces are damaged, replace, and you replace the whole frame.

Can the frame move to a new truck when the old one retires? Absolutely. If it was riveted, you drill out the rivets and mount it on the next truck. Yes, that means drilling new holes. If it was bolted, the same hardware gets reused because the bolts go through the corners of the frame.

Truck Signage Maintenance and Fleet Responsibilities

Whoever owns the trucks owns the frames. Day to day, that usually means the mechanics or anybody in the yard. Fleet staff usually swap the panels, but drivers can do it, too. It's just a matter of flipping up the four sides and turning the panel around or putting a new one in.

After that, you don't have to treat it with kid gloves. It's a maintenance-free sign system. We have trucks that get power washed every day, and the frames and panels hold up to it.

Truck Signage Lessons From 39 Years in the Field

The biggest mistake I see is seasoned mechanics who won't listen to how the frames should be installed. They think they know better. Read the installation instructions on the first truck, even if you've been mounting things on trucks your whole career.

When a fleet manager tells me they're speccing their first truck with frames, the first thing I say is congratulations. Then, I give them the short version:

1. Put it in the body order, with the size, location, and mounting written down.
2. Center it on the side. Keep it off the rear.
3. Bolts for smooth sides, rivets for ribbed bodies, and seal every hole.
4. One frame size for the whole fleet, if you can.
5. Decide one side or both now, not on the second order.

Every single city is just as different as the next. Once the frames are on, most of them just keep coming up with new designs and new slogans for the panels.