I drove into work recently behind a bright yellow service van with sticker letters pasted across the back. Endeavoring to read them, I inched closer. By filling in a few blanks, I finally figured out it spelled “Angel Carpet.”

This service van was interesting. It had some hand-painted spots to go along with other factory-finished spots, and it appeared to be a carpet cleaning company vehicle. But as my mind wandered, I realized that the van might not be a carpet cleaning vehicle and that Angel Carpet might not even be in business anymore.

This isn’t the first service vehicle I have seen with a questionable looking paint job and torn-up decals. I saw an old HVAC truck rumbling down the road the other day and thought, “If he pulled into my driveway, I wouldn’t answer the door.”

We have talked about taking care of the company’s trucks, but I wonder if contractors consider what happens to an old vehicle they sell off. It costs money and effort to keep a current service fleet shiny and up-to-date, but it may be just as important to have all of your decals and identifiers on old trucks removed.

It may cost a little more money at a vehicle’s end of life, but this final step may save your company large amounts of untold image and brand damage.