For agencies and media buyers
A truck-side format your planner can actually buy
A printed panel in a frame on the side of a city truck. It is new inventory, sold one city at a time, and no city is open yet. Tell us the markets you plan and we will write when one opens.
IllustrationIllustration. Fictional advertiser, not a booked placement.
What your planner gets
Specs
Two sides per truck. Standard live area 91 x 27 in. Sizes and file prep are on the specs page.
Content rules up front
In each city, every ad will be checked against that city's written ad policy before it runs. Read the ad policy.
Proof of posting
After install, you get a photo of the ad on the truck and a report with the dates your ad was posted.
Terms
Standard agency commission honored. Billed by calendar month.
How a buy works
- 1
Brief
Tell us the market, the months and the client category.
- 2
Specs
Send art that fits the panel specs.
- 3
Policy review
Every ad is checked against the city's written ad policy before it runs.
- 4
Proof photo
After install, you get a photo of the ad on the truck.
- 5
Posting report
You get a report with the dates your ad was posted.
The panel
- Two sides per truck. Standard live area 91 x 27 in.
- A framed sign, not a wrap. The printed panel slides out of the frame.
- The panel swaps in under 30 seconds, so a client's message can change by month. A new message still goes through design, review and printing first.
- We make the frames and print the panels ourselves. Roadway has built sign frames for refuse and recycling trucks since 1987.
How we talk about reach
Estimates, not measured. Not Geopath-rated. We say so on every proposal.
Refuse trucks are not part of the industry's audited audience ratings (Geopath). Any reach figure we show is labeled as an estimate, with how we got it.
For response, add a tracking number to the panel and count the calls.
Questions planners ask
What is truck-side advertising on city refuse trucks?
It is a printed ad panel on the side of a city garbage or recycling truck. Ours sits in an aluminum frame: a framed sign, not a wrap. The printed panel slides out of the frame and swaps in under 30 seconds, so a client's message can change by month. Roadway has built sign frames for refuse and recycling trucks since 1987. Read the full guide to garbage truck advertising.
Do you pay agency commission?
Yes. Standard agency commission honored, billed by calendar month. The rate for each city comes with the proposal, because no two cities price alike.
Is the format Geopath-rated? How do you report reach?
No. Refuse trucks are not part of the industry's audited audience ratings (Geopath). Any reach figure we show is labeled as an estimate, with how we got it: estimates, not measured, and we say so on every proposal. For response, put a tracking number on the panel and count the calls.
What proof of posting do we get?
After install, you get a photo of the ad on the truck. You also get a report with the dates your ad was posted.
What are the creative specs?
Two sides per truck, with a standard live area of 91 x 27 inches. Seven words or fewer reads best from the street. File types, sizes and prep are on the panel specs page, and you can preview a client's ad on a truck before you send art.
Who approves the creative?
In each city, every ad will be checked against that city's written ad policy before it runs. We check the creative against the policy first and send a mockup labeled as an illustration, so your client sees it before anything is printed.
What categories can't run?
Alcohol, tobacco and vaping, cannabis, adult content, firearms, gambling, political, religious and issue ads, payday lending and pawn, and profanity. A city may use a stricter list. Some client categories must also show a line on the panel: contractors show a California license number, attorneys show the responsible attorney or firm and a real office address, and health ads cannot market Medicare Advantage plans. Read the ad policy.
Which markets can we buy?
No city is open yet. We are opening city by city, starting in Southern California. Add the markets you plan to buy in the form on this page. It tells us which city to work on next, and we write when one opens.
What is the minimum flight, and can creative change mid-flight?
Three-month minimum. Ask us about what happens after. Creative can change any month: a new message still goes through design, review and printing first, then the panel swap takes under 30 seconds.
How is this different from a mobile billboard or a truck wrap?
A mobile billboard is a truck you rent to drive a route you pick, quoted by the day. A wrap is printed vinyl stuck to the body of a vehicle, so a new message means a new wrap. Our panel is a printed sign in a frame on a city truck that already drives its route, and it swaps in under 30 seconds. Compare outdoor advertising formats or read the truck advertising cost guide.
Can we pick the route?
No. Trucks rotate through the city's collection routes, so there is no route guarantee. Pick your city and we will show which areas its routes cover.
Tell us the markets you plan
Use the form. Add the markets you plan to buy. It tells us which city to work on next.
We call within 1 business hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Pacific.