When YRC Freight Corporation announced its intention to rebrand as the Yellow Corporation, they knew they had quite the job on their hands. While YRC Freight might not seem familiar, Yellow likely rings as bell. The company is responsible for the creation of the iconic yellow cabs seen all around the country.
YRC grew from its humble beginnings as a taxicab service in Oklahoma City to a national transportation holding company specializing in less than load (LTL) shipping. To increase brand recognition, the company decided to rebrand in 2021. At the time, they had over 33,000 vehicles in use from coast to coast that needed a new look. The logistics of this undertaking was immense, and Yellow knew that they needed an expert partner to help them tackle the job.
Unique Challenges to Yellow Fleet Graphic Installation
Yellow tapped Signature Graphics to handle the rebrand of their transitory fleet because of their robust processes and procedures and successful track record of handling large-scale national production and installation.
Working with a transitory fleet means the assets were always on the move. The first thing Signature Graphics needed was a solid strategy to minimize the downtime of 33,679 vehicles and get them back on the road as soon as possible. Signature Graphics opted for spot graphics, rather than full wrap that covered existing visuals. This kept production streamlined and minimized variables like vehicle size, make, and model.
Next, Signature had to coordinate with trailer manufactures to track and accommodate build schedules of new fleet assets. Finally, each vehicle had to be thoroughly washed three days before installation, which meant tracking each vehicle was a high priority.
Effective Solutions to Transitory Fleet Graphic Installation
The project began in March 2021 with a deadline of December 31, 2021. In other words, Signature had 9 months to rebrand a huge fleet of moving targets.
The first step was to create an eye-catching and effective design and manufacture high-quality vinyl graphics. Next, Signature undertook the logistics which included:
- identifying installation locations across the country
- coordinating personnel
- shipping graphics
- building an installation schedule
By referencing brandRESPONSE, Yellow was able to coordinate the wash of each vehicle three days prior to installation, and ensured each vehicle arrived at the installation point at the appropriate time.
To track every task and vehicle, Signature Graphics employed their proprietary brand management tracking and reporting tool, brandRESPONSE so they never missed a truck. With brandRESPONSE, every detail of the project was in one place and progress could be monitored in real time. For example, every single vehicle (all 33,679) was photographed in a before and after state at specific ¾ angle for review and cataloging.
Using brandRESPONSE, professionals at Signature Graphics and Fleet Managers at Yellow could rapidly share information, generate reports, and manage the project all from their phone or computer.
Results of Yellow Fleet Graphic Rebrand
The entire fleet was successfully rebranded within the timeline with efficient, high-impact fleet graphics for every vehicle regardless of make and model. Yellow even parked a rebranded trailer in Times Square, NYC on July 4, 2021.
Contact Signature Graphics for Your Fleet Graphics
Signature Graphics leverages over 30 years in the industry with cutting-edge technology to provide unparalleled fleet graphics service. We’re proud to be part of the Omnicom Group—one of the most highly regarded marketing and advertising networks in the world. Whether you have a fleet of 30 or more than 30,000 we can make branding your transitory fleet a breeze. Request a quote to get started.
We proudly use 3MTM graphic films and overlaminates.