Classic Striping, Easy to Remember Name

By George L. Nitti Bud Rodgers, owner of Bud’s Towing of Cortland, Ohio, knew he wanted to own his own business when he graduated from high school in 1977. At first, he didn’t have a direction in sight, but was hired by a towing service part-time, which became a full-time position. Two years later, Bud started his tow company and as they say, the rest is history. Today, his name is found on his business and stands out on all of his 12 trucks, in a gradient filled, yellow to orange lettering, easy to see against the white backdrop of his units. 

Bud credits his high school colors for the color schematic and said, “I think it’s a good color. It sticks out, it makes our drivers a lot safer because the orange reflects. You can never have enough lights and reflectors on trucks.” 

Three of Bud’s trucks won 1st place awards in three classes at the Wrecker Pageant at The Towman Games in Cleveland last year. Their Ford 2019 F550 in the car carrier class, their 2003 with a F650 Chevron bed in the medium duty class, and their Ford 2000 F350 in the light duty class. Bud credits his drivers for winning the competitions, noting how his drivers’ try to “out do each other” when customizing their trucks. 

Their graphics, done in-house, are slightly different from one another but distinct enough to mark the same brand. They suggest a classic look, partly a result of the racing stripes wrapped around the bottom of their trucks and the pin-striping on the front sides of the units. 

“I used to have a race car and just kept the stripes. Some trucks just have too much lettering on them. If you are going down the road you can’t make out what’s on them,” he said. “We try to keep it simple but something people will remember.” He added, “The stripes are for safety purposes. We want people to see us so we don’t get hit.” 

The unit’s simplicity is epitomized by the company name: Bud’s easy to remember, old-fashioned nick-name, written in a backward slanted font in large lettering. The name was thought out as marketing tool in order to get the business going right away.  

Bud said, “We went over a couple of names and we thought that being my name was ‘Bud,’ and ‘B’ was close to the top of the alphabet, that that would put us first in the phone book.” 

Finally, what sets each of the trucks apart are their names. Bud said, “Each truck has its own name. ‘Smoky,’ ‘Next Available,’ ‘Light Whitening,’ ‘Sleepless Nights....’” 

But always center stage, the company name is prominent, even on the front, where it is clearly marked on the front of the hood. 

Bud said, “When your name is on the front, they know who is coming. Its helps to identify you at the scene of the accident.”  Brag @ TIW! Should your truck be featured here? Send a few pics and your contact information to the editor at georgenitti@gmail.com. You might even be selected to go in print, too, in American Towman magazine!