TORONTO — David Contant is a big proponent of free speech and freedom of expression. And like so many others, he appreciates art.

But the Burlington, Ont.,-based trucker was far from amused recently when he discovered that a budding artiste decided his truck would be the an ideal canvas for a cryptic message delivered via a can of spray paint.

Contant is the latest trucker to be victimized by so-called graffiti artists who have decided that tractor-trailers, cube vans and other large vehicles make for ideal targets when it comes to displaying their horrendous handiwork.

Indeed, whereas graffiti was once confined to downtown back alleys and the odd railroad car, a growing trend has emerged wherein vandals are turning their attention to the world of wheels.

The easygoing Contant says he wouldn’t have minded if his truck had been tagged by someone painting, say, a replica of the Mona Lisa. But like the vast majority of the urban graffiti blight, the paintjob is merely a mishmash of gibberish that could’ve been administered by a chimpanzee wearing a blindfold.

"It’s a real eyesore," says Contant. "And I have no idea what it’s supposed to be."

While the graffiti on his truck likely represented a few minutes of mindless self-indulgence for the vandals, it is Contant who must live with the end result.

"It’s a little embarrassing for me to make deliveries now," he says, noting that he ships high-end fine furniture to the homes of customers.

"When I roll up on somebody’s driveway with a truck looking the way it does now, it doesn’t look good for me or for the company."

Vandals might get enjoyment out of defacing your
property, but you get the bill. There are ways to fight back.

David Bradley, president of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), notes that graffiti artists targeting trucks was something of a rarity just a decade ago. But in recent years, "truck tagging" has become increasingly commonplace — even if the reason behind the onslaught is uncertain.

"I’m seeing it [graffiti on trucks] all the time — there are trucks on the road that look like New York subway cars," says Bradley.

"I think there are people out there who have absolutely no respect for the property of others. It’s just the way society is going these days."

Bradley says the attention by vandals is completely unwanted. Many truckers take pride in how their rigs look, and to see their vehicles "desecrated" in such a fashion is "very frustrating for them… especially if there’s something obscene painted on the truck." Meanwhile, as the trucker goes about his business, his rig becomes a source of visual pollution to everyone else.

More than an annoyance and an eyesore, unwanted graffiti can be damaging to the bottom line.

Mike Haydeman, who heads up Canadian Restorations GTA Inc., a Toronto-based graffiti-removal company, says eradicating graffiti isn’t cheap.

"When I tell [truckers] how much it’s going to be, I then tell them to go to a paint shop and get the graffiti painted over," says Haydeman, noting that graffiti removal ranges from $200 for "a small job" to more than $1,000 "depending on the amount that has to be treated."

A basic paint job to cover up graffiti, he says, can be had for as little as $400. Another problem, notes Haydeman, is that when graffiti is removed from a vehicle, sometimes the clearcoat surface is also removed.

This could result in the paint eventually fading and chipping. Still, Haydeman says there is another way to fight back against unwanted graffiti.

His company markets a "pre-emptive solution" for graffiti pests: namely, a "graffiti barrier" comprised of a polymer-based coating solution. Such a coating is a graffiti artist’s worst nightmare.

"Spray paint will adhere to the coating but the paint comes off with a citrus spray that you apply later on — it [spray paint] literally melts in front of your eyes," he says. The coating costs $1,500 for a cube van and $4,000 to $5,000 for a trailer.

As for the driving reason behind targeting big vehicles with graffiti, Haydeman theorizes that trucks and cube vans tend to be parked in alleys or in lots far from prying eyes.

"I think they [trucks] are an irresistible target for vandals — a truck is a very big canvas for them," he says. And because trucks are mobile, the graffiti artist’s handiwork is exposed to a huge audience as the trucker goes about his rounds. "You and I may not understand all that gibberish, but the vandals’ peers understand it.