Stringing a tree with tinsel or sprinkling artificial snow around double-glazed windows is quite normal behavior when it comes to celebrating a religious festival at home. However, if you spend more time on the road doing hauling jobs than lounging around in your living room, then it’s understandable that you want to decorate your vehicle as well. Here are some examples of custom trucks from around the world.

the christmas truck

Some people admit that they only feel festive when the Coca-Cola Christmas commercial, with the beautifully lit red truck, appears on television. This ad actually fell out of use around 2001, after Coca-Cola restructured its advertising model to produce ads locally rather than centrally at the companies’ headquarters in Atlanta. However, after many phone calls from consumers around the world, saying the ad represented the start of the festive season, the company was forced to put the ad back into use. Transportation workers who drive the Coca-Cola trucks, as in the ad, are encouraged to decorate their trucks with the stereotypical red LED lights. Therefore, these trucks are a common sight on America’s highways during the Advent season.

The Hello Mohalla truck

During the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla, it is common for the participants to decorate their trucks before carrying out the transport work. The decorations are similar in style to the Diwali trucks, but a bit less elaborate. Instead of floral wreaths, crepe paper decorations hang from the truck’s bumpers and windows, while artificial flower garlands decorate the front hood and balloons hang from the side doors. However, during the festival the goods transporter transports differ slightly from what they are used to in their regular line of work. Transport workers transporting participants to and from the carnival procession in their decorated trucks, while the participants sing Kirtan hymns in the back.

Dekotora’s truck

While many transportation workers only decorate their trucks for special occasions, in Japan truck decorating is actually an art form. The art is known as dekotora and the trucks are painted in bold and cheeky designs. They usually feature neon or ultraviolet lights, and in some cases are designed to look like animals or anime characters. Trucks can be used for transportation work, but are more commonly decorated by hobbyists who drive them to special events. However, although dekotora sounds like a lot of fun, there are strict rules that all participants must adhere to. Side bumpers, for example, need to be made from wide planks instead of the usual tubes. These are usually decorated with paper lanterns and different types of lighting.

diwali truck

Indian trucking companies are encouraged to decorate their trucks for Diwali; the festival of lights This sport can actually get quite competitive with those doing trucking jobs during the festival trying to outdo their peers by having the fanciest truck. Strings of marigold flowers twist around the front of the truck and bumper and are known as ‘sheer’. The flowers have already been offered to Goddess Lakshmi and after receiving her blessing they are hung from the trucks as an omen of good fortune. Marigold flowers are not the only form of decoration and ribbons are often hung from outside rear view mirrors, while tassels cover the vehicle’s fenders and grill. Carriers also use the holiday excuse to give their trucks a fresh coat of paint so they can truly outperform their rivals on the road.