New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Topic: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem (Read 1075 times) previous topic - next topic

New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

June 16, 2014, 08:03:15 pm

I have been asked to put on a motorcade decal set with motorcade numbers. I have the old style with motorcade club identification above the passenger side and motorcade number above the driver side. The "new" style are all inclusive, so, which side do they go on?? both front and back?

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #1 – June 16, 2014, 08:24:18 pm

The front numbers go on the drivers side and think the rear also go on the drivers side, but not sure as when I was at the factory they installed the rear on the passenger side, but the ladder partially hides the numbers. I am not sure if the directory shows where to place the numbers.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #2 – June 16, 2014, 11:49:13 pm

What Ron said - that is where we put ours. I liked the old style numbers a lot better - they were easier to see from a distance, and "stuck" better.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #3 – June 17, 2014, 11:46:32 am

It is quite important to follow Motorcade written rules on where to place decals.

They specify exactly the measurements.
I suggest calling Beverly at Foretravel Motorcade Club.

No room for guessing as the Club wants and in some way demands uniformity.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #4 – June 17, 2014, 12:00:47 pm

I just found the rule in Club Directory:

Article VII, Section 1

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #5 – June 23, 2014, 09:29:46 am

Old style numbers were much more visible. I have wondered why they changed?

David

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #6 – June 23, 2014, 09:42:09 am

Quote from: dwest – June 23, 2014, 09:29:46 am

Old style numbers were much more visible. I have wondered why they changed?

Much more visible, I agree, AND I predict the very fine detailing on the new decal will not hold up as well. I cleaned the gelcoat scrupulously with cleaner/degreaser before installing my numbers. I can already see a couple places where the new, "improved" decal is starting to lift off.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #7 – June 23, 2014, 09:57:18 am

I have the new ones too....if weather holds out I'll put them on today. Per the rules, driveside it seems.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #8 – June 23, 2014, 11:37:10 am

We were going to have Foretravel put our numbers on after our work at Xtreme, but I thought the whole decal array was to busy and too big. After just having spent a considerable amount of money on removing decals, I had no great desire to slap them on again... still, I thought it would be worth it to just put the numbers on so other forum members or Foretravel owners who cared could look us up in the directory. So when I was going to cut the numbers out of the rest and just have those put on at FOT. Well, I didn't get around to trimming the decal so asked Josh to have the tech who was going to put the numbers on to do it. Of course, easy enough to do it myself, but we were there for something else and they offer it as a free service, so why not? Anyway, Josh talked to Beverly who completely nixed the idea. She said absolutely not! Now Josh was apologetic and said he didn't see why not and suggested that I could do it myself if I wanted to. Well, it kind of ticked me off to be told what we could have or not have on our coach, so I said no thanks. It isn't like I am trying to hide the Foretravel name (it appears front, back and on both sides)... heck, I even had Xtreme paint a Foretravel logo on the front of our coach which she proudly wears! I may still put the numbers up, but this thread has me wondering if we ever do get to go to a Grandvention or some such official event, are they going to refuse us because we aren't displaying the club banner properly? If so, that may be just a bit too much regimentation for my taste... maybe I will just leave them off.
Don

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #9 – June 23, 2014, 12:57:20 pm

Rain held off so on they went. When I rubbed her clean with alcohol I could read the old, much bigger, numbers..12346...I still have the old book and name tags from the PO also.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #10 – June 23, 2014, 05:39:27 pm

Quote from: acousticart – June 23, 2014, 11:37:10 am

...maybe I will just leave them off.

Don, I'm afraid I have to agree with you. If I had that absolutely beautiful paint job on the front of our coach, I would not want to stick ANYTHING on it.

Since you are the "Master Fabricator", perhaps you can come up with temporary (removable) stick-on copies of the club logo and number. Just slap them up on the coach before you pull up to the gate at club events, and remove them when you leave. Problem solved!

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #11 – June 23, 2014, 07:49:51 pm

Fwiw, it's your coach, do what you want. The club will take and keep your $$$$. And in didn't see ant motorcade police at the GV. :-)

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #12 – June 23, 2014, 07:56:54 pm

Great looking coach. Love the clean look. Its your coach so I would trim what ever I wanted to. DAN

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #13 – June 23, 2014, 09:43:08 pm

Thanks guys! I think I will defer the decision until such time as we are attending a Grandvention or other official event. I do like the Motorcade Club though, especially the discount...

That 10% saved us a lot on out first trip to Nacogdoches! Besides, sometimes a decision deferred is a decision made

Don & Tys

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #14 – June 23, 2014, 10:39:40 pm

Quote from: cajk – June 23, 2014, 05:39:27 pm

Since you are the "Master Fabricator", perhaps you can come up with temporary (removable) stick-on copies of the club logo and number.

How about a piece of magnetic sign material? Might be enough steel frame structure somewhere?

Trent

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #15 – June 24, 2014, 12:32:35 am

The walls of Foretravels are steel framed, but the roof is aluminum framed including the area above the windshield. However, I was thinking a piece of clear lexan with the decals applied to it held on by suction cups... as long as I don't forget to remove it before we hit the road LOL!
Don

Quote from: TulsaTrent – June 23, 2014, 10:39:40 pm

How about a piece of magnetic sign material? Might be enough steel frame structure somewhere?

Trent

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #16 – June 24, 2014, 07:31:11 am

Put the lexan board on the dash "until you get a chance to climb up".

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #17 – June 24, 2014, 10:02:41 am

Would they work in the top part of the windshield in the inside?

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #18 – June 24, 2014, 10:25:08 am

Quote from: fouroureye – June 24, 2014, 10:02:41 am

Would they work in the top part of the windshield in the inside?

Would not be visible due to dark tinted band at top.

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #19 – June 25, 2014, 12:26:18 am

Guys: Much "too do" over nothing.

We have attended many events and haven't had permanent numbers on our coach for years. We have also seen many other Foretravel Motorcade Club (FMC) Member coaches without permanent FMC logos and numbers attached. We personally decided that bald is beautiful (and we also grew tired of explaining, over and over again to strangers, that we were not driving a "rental pool" coach). During FMC events, we use a highly visible placard in the Driver's side windshield and that has never presented a problem.

As 16 year members of the FMC and after several FT Grandventions, Rallies, Motorcades and Chapter Rallies, we have often seen temporary FMC ID placards posted in the driver's side windshield. It only makes good common sense that event leaders and volunteers need to be able to identify each participating coach for a whole host of reasons; parking, inventory, accounting, services and other, not the least of which may be for emergency response purposes. That goes right along with good common sense use and monitoring of CB Ch4 ("4Travel") for news, updates, reminders and emergency response messages (and no abusive chattering) during FMC events.

It used to be that FT ran "Motorcade 101" Motorcades frequently. They didn't do it each year, but frequently. They were a great idea and I don't know why they stopped. Likely due to lack of participation, which is a real shame.

The "101's" helped to generate enthusiasm and long term interest in the club. By the nature of the Motorcade's "101" name, its design and the very way that it was conducted, the FMC introduced many to the wonders and camaraderie of FT motorcading. Perhaps most importantly, they went a long way in getting the majority of club members onto the same page with regard to FMC etiquette. The "101's" were often combined with and immediately followed the ladies' driving schools Thus, the "101" became an extension of the ladies' driving school learning and confidence building experience. The ladies often proudly drove parts or even all of the 100 and 200 mile legs as the "101" moved from one area to the next.

We went on a 23 day "Motorcading 101" as our first motorcade. It started in Nac with four days of driving school for the ladies and then continued on for another 19 days, all within the state of Texas. The ladies had the great school, the guys had four days of seminars, access to engineers and factory shop personnel, James Triana, overall factory tours (and maybe a FEW personal show and tells as well as the inevitable swapping of tales). We started several long term friendships during our "101", that still flourish today. We know of other FMC members that have gone on multiple 101's, just because the 101's were so informative and because the "newbie" owner friendships are so infectious and long lasting.

How can you fill 23 days with etiquette lessons? Well, with a great deal of fun, as well as a great deal of learning (in our case - a glimpse into the great histories of both Texas and FT), with daily Motorcade events, meals and experiences, often including Prevost Tour Bus tours to destination points of interest, but always including non-stop laughter and great fun! We learned the FMC rules and expectations (don't go getting sour now, but it is a pretty extensive rulebook a well as set of expectations on how to conduct one's self as a GOOD FMC MEMBER in public). I've often wished that FMCA, Wal Mart and Cracker Barrel, etc. would offer a similar set of rules and expectations (and enforce them). Perhaps much more public parking would be welcomed across the nation, if that were the case. We also learned the FT grounds (FOT/Nac) rules and expectations as well as the Motorcade etiquette for CB's, (FMC) coach markings (why and how), we learned how to make the most of having the luxury of an accompanying FT Technical Support Coach, trailer and Technical Support couple. We learned all about travelling safely and without pressure in a FMC group, how to serve as "advance arrival crew members" and as "tail gunners", as "greeting" and "flagging" and "parking crews". We learned the etiquette for driver's briefings, ways for looking after your fellow Motorcade members, for finding ways to volunteer and work together to ensure the success of all on a motorcade, for organizing and conducting Sunday non-denominational services. Several on our Motorcade 101 had motorcycles and group rides were organized............all of this and nonstop fun...................hard not to thoroughly enjoy and get wrapped up in the camaraderie of it all!

As one example of a thousand great memories, consider the INSTIGATOR PIN (each FT Motorcade Director Couple has their own formulae and ways to keep things lively and entertaining);

On our "101", the INSTIGATOR PIN was a clothespin, that was sequentially awarded to the Motorcade 101 individual that had most recently caused (instigated) a disruption. Since everyone was in good spirits, one member playing a joke on another could earn the PIN (always accompanied by a $0.25 fine....that a volunteer accountant made sure went into a "Kitty" for an Ice Cream Social near the end of the Motorcade). Some of the jokes became extensively elaborate, well planned/executed. Other times it just took 30 seconds of being late for a Tour Bus departure time or someone overtly flirting with a waitperson (notice; guys and gals both eligible) or perhaps a sarcastic comment not intended to be overheard or someone driving by a designated destination......two (or three) times in a row. The fun was fast and furious and some couples ended up with (mostly self imposed) fine totals large enough to fund a whole round of ice creams.

I could amaze you with the list of all of the activities and tremendous Texas places that we visited on our 19 day "101" but it would be much longer than this (already too long) message. If teased, I could probably come up with 85% of the places and things that we did, all within Texas, because the fun was that intense - it has endured the test of time; but back to the point:

The Motorcade Logo and Numbers serve a whole host of good purposes when moving around together as a group or attending a FMC event. Most of the good purposes can be easily satisfied with an 11"X17" placard in the Driver's side window.................I will attach a drawing of mine when I am on the correct computer
.
If you don't get testy with FT over the rules, it's highly unlikely that FT will get testy with you over bending them a little. The FMC is all about good times, fun, camaraderie and friendship, as well as nurturing a positive relationship between FT and its customers..............not about FOT control and customer sour feelings.

Please consider that it is much easier to move a lot of coaches around in a Motorcade and to keep an accurate accounting of them, if everyone uniformly obeys the FMC rules. But more importantly, totally unpredictable emergencies can happen. During a FMC event, displaying your FMC numbers prominently could help save a life, whether you display them permanently or in some other temporary (but highly visible) fashion.

Neal

Re: New style Motorcade decals, where to place ethem

Reply #20 – June 25, 2014, 09:46:38 am

Wow! As a new member and RV'er, I think the 101's are a great idea! We're still gearing up for our first outing and it would be great to have on on the schedule. Hope they start up again.

Don

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