A VMS board is a variable message sign: an electronic sign with a message you can change. You have probably driven past one at roadworks: a sign on a trailer by the side of the road, warning that a lane is closed ahead or that the speed limit has dropped. VMS is short for variable message sign, and you will also hear VMS sign, VMS trailer and variable message board. They all mean the same thing.
What a VMS board is made of
Most portable VMS boards are built the same way:
- An LED sign, bright enough to read in the day and clear at night.
- A trailer, so the board can be towed to site and parked on a verge, a road shoulder or in a car park.
- Solar panels and batteries, so it runs without mains power. The panels charge the batteries during the day, and the batteries keep the sign going overnight.
- A controller that stores the messages and shows them in order.
You will also see fixed VMS boards over freeways and at tunnel entrances, run by the road authority. This post is about the portable kind, which is the one you can hire.
What are variable message signs used for?
- Roadworks: lower speed limits, lane closures, detours and warnings of work ahead.
- Events: parking directions, entry gates and road closures, plus warnings in the days before.
- Councils: road closures, community notices and changes to traffic.
- Work sites and car parks: site speed limits, delivery directions and safety reminders.
- Emergencies: on the road into town, a board can warn drivers of a fire, flood or closure ahead.
Because the message changes in minutes, one board can warn of a lane closure in the morning and send traffic to a detour in the afternoon.
What a good VMS message looks like
Drivers get a few seconds to read the board, so keep it short. Use a few words per screen and no more than two or three screens, and put the most important word first. Messages like these work:
- ROADWORKS AHEAD / REDUCE SPEED
- LEFT LANE CLOSED / MERGE RIGHT
- ROAD CLOSED SAT 7AM / USE DETOUR
- EVENT PARKING / NEXT LEFT
- SLOW DOWN / WORKERS ON SITE
On roadworks, the traffic management plan for the site usually sets where the board stands and what it says, so check it before you set the messages.
Our solar trailer signs work as VMS boards
Our hire trailer signs run on solar power, so they can stand on a verge, in a car park or beside the road with no power nearby. They also work as variable message signs for roadworks, with speed, detour and warning messages. You change the message from your phone, and we show you how when we set the sign up.
We also hire double-sided signs, so traffic from both directions sees your message. We are the only hire company in Perth with double-sided LED signs. For openings and events where you want more than words, our full colour trailer signs show photos, logos and video.
Hiring a VMS board
- Hire for anything from half a day to months or years.
- Delivery anywhere in Australia, often on the same day in Perth.
- Set-up on site, and a quick lesson on changing the message from your phone.
- Help with council approval if your site needs it.
A board on a road or verge also needs permission from whoever manages that road, and some councils have their own rules for temporary signs. Tell us where the board will stand when you book, and we will check what applies.
Book one through VMS board hire in Perth and across Australia, or see the full range on LED sign hire.
Hire or buy
Hiring suits one-off jobs, events and seasons. If you need a sign on site for most of the year, buying often works out better. For a sign that stays put, such as a speed reminder at a site entry, we build fixed signs too. See LED safety and speed signs, and our guide to digital signs for workplace safety for more ways to use them.
Ask us
Tell us the date, the place and what the sign needs to say, and we will suggest the right board. To plan the budget, read what affects the cost of LED sign and VMS hire.
Get a free quote, or call Aaron on 0416 053 335 or the office on (08) 9335 7944.
