Welcome to this issue of Digital Display Insider. In this issue, I will be giving you valuable information as you navigate the mobile digital billboard (M.D.B.) startup process. As I mentioned last week, in order to have success in this industry, you must have 4 cornerstones in place that provide the foundation your entire business is built on. In this weeks issue, we will focus on the first cornerstone, the LED truck. And as an added bonus, I have included a time-lapse video of a LED truck build from start to finish, so buckle up because this is an exciting issue of Digital Display Insider.

In the last issue, we introduced the Four Cornerstones of Mobile Digital Billboard Success. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the first and most foundational: the LED truck.  Why Is This So Important?  Simply put, without the right truck, your mobile digital billboard business is set up for failure. Based on my 10+ years of experience in this industry, I know most new buyers have little to no experience with LED trucks or sign technology—and finding accurate, reliable information online is incredibly difficult.

When I bought my first LED truck back in 2014, there were only a handful of these trucks across the entire country. My only source of information was the guy selling me the truck. Big mistake. He lied about nearly everything—completely misrepresenting the truck’s capabilities. In the end, I lost $100,000 between what I paid for the truck and what I had to sell it for a year later.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated story. There are many low-quality LED trucks on the market, and it’s easy for an experienced seller to offload a bad truck on an unsuspecting buyer. I don’t want that to happen to you.

The Essentials of a Quality LED Truck

Let’s get into the specifics. As of today, the highest resolution outdoor SMD LED screens you can buy are P2.9 or P3—both of which have only recently become available. Before that, P3.9 or P4 was the top tier.

For those unfamiliar, the “P” stands for pixel pitch, which is the distance in millimeters between the LEDs, measured from center to center. The smaller the number, the closer the pixels are packed together, which results in a sharper, higher-quality image. I’ll dive deeper into the specifics of LED screens in future issues, but for now, let’s stay focused on the truck as a whole.

The four main components that make up an LED truck are:
1. The LED Screen
2. The Generator
3. The Media Source
4. The Truck Chassis

Each of these elements plays a crucial role in the truck’s performance.

The LED Screen

The LED screen is the heart of the truck. It’s what your audience sees, so quality matters. As mentioned earlier, the latest advancements in LED technology have brought us to P2.9 and P3 screens, offering unparalleled sharpness and image quality. The smaller the pixel pitch, the better the visual experience. We’ll cover more technical details about LED screens in upcoming issues, but remember that investing in a high-quality screen is non-negotiable for a successful business.

The Generator

The generator is often where manufacturers cut corners. A quality generator costs between $1,000 and $2,000 per kilowatt (kW), which means there’s a huge difference in price between a 7kW and a 20kW generator. Additionally, different generators have varying noise levels—both outside the truck and inside the cab.

Low-quality builds often fail to account for the vibrations a generator produces. If the installation isn’t done properly, those vibrations will reverberate through the entire cab, creating a noisy, uncomfortable ride. These are things you won’t notice until after you’ve bought the truck—by which point, it’s too late.

The Chassis

The key consideration for the chassis is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). If the chassis is rated at 10,001 pounds or more, you are legally required to register the vehicle with the Department of Transportation (DOT). This triggers a host of complex regulations and oversight from the DOT, adding layers of bureaucracy to your operation.

You can easily check the GVWR by looking at the VIN tag inside the driver’s door. If either the actual weight or the GVWR exceeds 10,001 pounds, you’ll need a DOT number to operate the truck.

The Media Source

Your media source is how you control what’s displayed on your LED screens. Many builders will throw a cheap laptop into the truck and run the manufacturer’s software. These programs tend to be clunky, outdated, and glitchy—especially on newer Windows 10/11 systems.

Worse still, this setup requires the driver to be trained in using the software, knowing which ads to run and when. In my opinion, this is unnecessary. I strongly recommend a cloud-based media player that allows you to control the content remotely. This way, your drivers can focus on what they do best—driving. At Legion LED Trucks, we offer trucks with multiple options for loading content, so you have backup systems in place in case of technical issues.

Don’t Get Burned—Educate Yourself

This article just scratches the surface of what you need to know before buying an LED truck. The LED truck is the foundation of your business, and making the wrong choice can set you back years. I know this firsthand—if I hadn’t learned from my early mistakes, my mobile digital billboard business would have ended before it even began.

If you’re in the market for an LED truck, I offer discovery call consulting sessions where we can dive deeper into each of these components. I’ll help you understand exactly what to look for so you don’t make the same mistakes I did. Click the banner below to schedule your call in just a few minutes.

Jerry Teeter LED Truck Consulting www.jerryteeter.com/consulting