Fictitious Decal on cargo van? for stealth

[LMTLMT]

Here the situation, I just put (2) Fantastic roof vents with Covers (white on white van).  They look like or can pass for a van that has air conditioning or some sort of refrigeration units to an average eye.  

Because of the two vents with covers, my van does NOT look like a plane jane workers van anymore.  

Should I put a fictitious "Refrigeration" business decal or signage so I can blend in better? 

Otherwise with the two vents (w/covers which are 9" tall each), they stand out a bit on a plane jane white cargo van.

I would like to stealth park anywhere from residential neighborhoods/parks to business areas to hospitals and etc.

Thank you for your opinion.

 

[John61CT]

IMO less is more, something that works in commercial, not so much for a residential street.

Any signage will cause wheels to turn, best to let their train of thought roll on without you.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I believe in most states maybe all if you have lettering for a business on your truck you'll have to get commercial plates. Not all that expensive to do in Massachusetts, except you then have to register a business in order to get them. So it adds some more bureaucratic hurdles. Way back when I started my first business I didnt get commercial plates and had my truck lettered and I got pulled over twice for it, the 2nd time I decided id just follow the rules.

In a larger city it might add some places to park if there are commercial only loading zones.

 

[Florida boondocker]

Don't forget your insurance ....
You'll have to have commercial insurance ... more money

And most states require you to have your business license number on all commercial insurance ... so now your'll need to get that

also think about zoning ... most residential area don't allow overnight parking for commercial vehicles ,

 i own a painting company and have
had plenty of trouble of parking a company vehicle at employees homes

also most police will stop & check out a commercial vehicle parked in a "odd" area late at night thinking it's stolen

 

[poncho62]

My thought is, if it looks like a service type van, its probably full of expensive tools, parts etc......a target for thieves.....just sayin'

 

[gargoyle]

No signage.
Plain is plain. Keep it that way.
Some HOA's have rules about "commercial" vehicles. So parking in those neighborhoods may raise eyebrows.

If the authorities approach, be kind and move along politely.
If it was my house or property, I would wonder about a strange van parked out front.!

 

[GotSmart]

Here the situation, I just put (2) Fantastic roof vents with Covers (white on white van).  They look like or can pass for a van that has air conditioning or some sort of refrigeration units to an average eye.  

Because of the two vents with covers, my van does NOT look like a plane jane workers van anymore.  

Otherwise with the two vents (w/covers which are 9" tall each), they stand out a bit on a plane jane white cargo van.
.

You are looking for that.  You notice it.  

To the rest of the world it just looks like another van. 

A sign will make it stand out.

 

[Thirsty Boots Nomad]

IMO, it could also work in the "other" direction --- a white van with no signage/markings could be a former commercial vehicle that has been "retired" and is now someone's personal vehicle.

 

[ArtW]

I take notice of logos on vans, just human nature
Unmarked vans, not so much, though I do pay them more attention now than I would have pre CRVL

 

[Reducto]

Anything that makes you stand out and be remembered is bad.

If you do get a visit from the cops, they will quickly realize the signs are for a fake business and they now have a reason to suspect you're up to something.

Just keep it clean and don't do anything to piss people off like leaving a mess outside the van.

 

[LMTLMT]

Thanks all for the good advise.

 

[grummy]

One of my all time favorite ideas on these lines is to put a very small indication that your truck is related to a contract fibre optics splicing company. These guys have to travel everywhere, and often are parked over a manhole, orange cones out and all, with a bundle of wires pulled up into the vehicle. No body messes with the guy who gets peoples phone and internet running better/faster.

 

[TrainChaser]

"Zombie Transport Service -- we deliver anywhere"

Stay entirely away from anything that looks like it might be linked to an HOA. Those people cause trouble for the people who legitimately LIVE THERE!

HOAs make the news because they: don't want people to fly American flags, because a member installs a wheelchair ramp for a spouse who had a stroke, they don't want the people who own the homes to have an extra vehicle in their own driveway, the owners can't wear shorts, etc. If you think you're going to park a van on their streets and live in it, you need to re-examine your thinking.

 

[mayble]

If I were an electrical contractor or plumber and a strange vehicle sporting a tradesman's logo popped up in my town, I'd be curious.  Curious enough to notice where and when I see that van, and maybe ask around, garnering more attention.

Rather than a sign or logo, why not just a number?  
I'm thinking of the plain block numbers on fleet vehicles.  Enough to look like a business or government vehicle, but not enough to arouse much interest.

 

[Richard]

One way to think about the question is to ask, "In whose eyes do we want to remain stealthy?" Audience is key to a relevant answer.

If you want to remain stealthy in a neighborhood, good luck with that. Because neighbors, especially in areas where 'Neighborhood Watch' programs are posted will tend to be more community aware. Strange van, sign or no, will have some curious people wondering what it's doing there, who it belongs to, shall I call the police to investigate, etc.

So now we're considering a police audience. It doesn't really matter how our van looks to a cop. They're going to run the plates and find out most everything they need to know in order to decide to leave it alone or pursue it further. In my opinion, a cop audience isn't going to be easily deterred no matter what the exterior looks like.

So we're back to non law-enforcement audiences. True, most ordinary people won't notice. But that's also true of just about any plain-jane vehicle. How many people are going to take notice of anything that doesn't concern them? Not many in my experience. They're too busy talking on the phone, trying to get to where they want to be, thinking about tonight's activities, etc. Short of words or images that takes them into the big-3 topics (sex, food, money), they'll generally not care much either way.

Neighborhood watch communities, cops, ordinary people living their lives... there are likely other categories of an audience that could be imagined. In the end, though, I don't think that the idea of 'stealth' is as covert as we may prefer to believe. Sure, there will always be exceptions to the rule but, unless one is planning to live primarily within the context of these exceptions, it seems to me less of an issue than it's often portrayed to be.

My 2-cents, for whatever that may be worth

 

[Crabbyjerry]

One of my all time favorite ideas on these lines is to put a very small indication that your truck is related to a contract fibre optics splicing company. These guys have to travel everywhere, and often are parked over a manhole, orange cones out and all, with a bundle of wires pulled up into the vehicle. No body messes with the guy who gets peoples phone and internet running better/faster.

Yea but you might have people banging on your door cause their cables out lol

 

[highdesertranger]

stealth is overrated IMO. I believe you are not hiding from anybody that wants to know. then to add some type of graphics that make you look commercial just adds more scrutiny. now you have added the commercial police to the list of people watching you. also National Parks restrict commercial vehicles to those doing business in the park. highdesertranger

 

[Thirsty Boots Nomad]

stealth is overrated IMO.  I believe you are not hiding from anybody that wants to know. then to add some type of graphics that make you look commercial just adds more scrutiny.  now you have added the commercial police to the list of people watching you.  also National Parks restrict commercial vehicles to those doing business in the park.  highdesertranger

True, if fact one of the more "popular" vloggers recently (and in the past) has had issues with LE because he has his logo painted on the side of his rv --- he says he's a private individual driving his personal vehicle, ... LE says it's a commercial vehicle not allowed to drive on certain roads or in certain areas reserved for private vehicles (in addition to registration/licensing issues)

 

[INTJohn]

If I was going to try and pass my vehicle off as some type of self employed contractor type vehicle; i.e. 'Joe's Plumbing'; I don't think you would want to use decals or have it painted on. The way to go would be to use magnetic signs, I think.

I have a late model pik up truck that I stealth sleep in when I go hang at Beaches in San Diego. I have my spots and sometimes even take advantage of/exploit SD's own parking laws. Just gota know when & where and you can pretty much do what e'er you want; at times openly - even in SD........

jus sayin..............INTJohn

 

[LeeRevell]

Try looking at it from the homeowner's point of view. We are constantly hit with home security ads, often showing the van as the burgler's vehicle of choice.
So, if a vehicle, ANY vehicle, is sitting in front of my property, it gets a close look. If the driver is there, he/she WILL move on, or else. Give me guff, he gets to explain to the cops why he is there. Been there, done that, didn't get the t-shirt.
Having been the victim of home break-in and robbery.... yeah. Vehicles out front not tolerated.
So when travelling, a residential area is the very last place I would consider.
No vehicle is that "stealthy".