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Unmarked Vehicles & More

By Muhammad Akram posted 04-19-2021 18:25

  

Unmarked Vehicles & More

Introducing: Pest Control Discrete Service Standard


Here in Toronto, a large, populous, vibrant city in Ontario, Canada, many homeowners (especially those in higher-end communities) are aware of the damaging effects a bed bug has on both their home and reputation. As a result, much of the competition has adopted the practice of servicing homes in unmarked vehicles - that is, a pest control vehicle without any commercial pest control advertising printed on the vehicle. What follows is a standard describing three levels of unmarked that Pest Solution Services has adopted and encourages homeowners to find companies that meet such a standard, if privacy and discrete service is a major concern. Below is a summary of the entire article published on the Pest Solution Services Bed Bug 101 articles page. You can read the entire article (with original images, also) on the Pest Solution Services website, by following this link: Pest Control Discrete Service Standard.

Level 1: Unmarked Vehicle


An unmarked vehicle is a pest control vehicle without any advertising or commercial display (including pest control-specific company logos). This is the first step of protecting the privacy of the homeowner as to what service they are receiving. Having a bed bug control vehicle parked on their driveway can be very embarrasing and harm their reputation among the neighbours.


Level 2: Unmarked Gear & Tools


All professional tools should not have vinyl stickers or markings that would suggest pest control work is being done. For example, a hard hat with the company logo is no longer considered discrete. The best conformance to this level is to have tools that are as plain as possible and only have manufacturer logos (3M, Tyvek, etc.). To any on-looker, this would seem like a general contracting job, and the fact that it is a bed bug or pest control job would not be easily revealed.


Level 3: Concealed Equipment


All pest control-specific equipment should be kept and carried in a concealed manner for as long as possible. For example, if installing mouse traps within the home, they should be kept concealed in the vehicle, then brought out in a covered/undisclosed manner, and finally, they should only be carried openly within the home, where they are to be installed. The same goes for all other pest control equipment such as spray tanks.


Compliance

To see how Pest Solution Services complies with the above standard, be sure to read the last paragraph of Pest Control Discrete Service Standard. This standard/article was first published on March 30, 2021, on the Pest Solution Services Bed Bug 101 articles webpage.

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03-15-2022 09:27

@Carl York
Actually, Ontario too does require Operator License holders to have a small sticker on their car (only one) which is about 8"x4".
It has small writing and doesn't really give any specific clues about bed bugs. Much of the industry does not mention it when saying "unmarked vehicles" here in Toronto because of how common and understood this advertising is, I guess.
Regardless, blog post on main website was updated in August 2021 to fix this, however this NPMA post cannot be updated, it seems.
Thanks for your comments and insights. ​​​

09-26-2021 11:40

This is an interesting topic. I am in Florida it is against state law to provide pest control services in an unmarked vehicle. We are required to be branded with a semi permanent sticker on both sides and the back of the vehicle with a regulated per determined minimum size, and be contrasting from the color of the background color of the vehicle, with one exception sales vehicles may use a magnetic branding option.

Why would people care? Rich or not at some point everyone has a pest issue be it their fault or not. Pest services is as necessary as the local store for the community, health and safety.