Engineering a Safer Fleet: How Carolina Signs and Wonders and UNC Charlotte Solved a Hidden Bucket Truck Hazard
The safety pan installed on the bucket truck
the design of the safety pan for the bucket truck
Carolina signs and wonders
engineering partnership provides safter operating environment for commercial sign installers
Driving in the rain used to mean slowing down, pulling over, and cleaning the glass. With the system installed, the windshield stays clear on long drives between job sites. It’s a huge upgrade.”
CHARLOTTE, NC, UNITED STATES, December 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Across the sign industry, bucket trucks are synonymous with productivity. They lift installers for high-rise channel letters, digital signage, maintenance, and architectural sign installations. However, they also share a stubborn flaw: grease and hydraulic oil constantly drip from the boom knuckle onto the windshield; a problem that has challenged sign companies for decades.— Colton Braun, Senior Installation Technician
The bucket assembly sits directly above the cab, so fluids fall into the driver’s line of sight. Windshield wipers smear the mess rather than clear it, compromising visibility. Technicians have long resorted to makeshift solutions: over-cleaning, protective films, extra washer fluid, even cardboard shields; but none of these options have proven to work reliably.
Carolina Signs and Wonders, headquartered in Charlotte, NC and known throughout the Southeast for executing large, complex signage projects, decided it was time to engineer a permanent fix.
Partnering with UNC Charlotte’s Industrial Solution Lab (isl.charlotte.edu) to Solve a Longstanding Industry Challenge.
Carolina Signs and Wonders partnered with the William States Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte to transform an industry-wide challenge into a senior design project, connecting mechanical engineering students with real commercial problems to deliver fully tested, high-impact solutions.
UNC Charlotte’s five-person engineering team: Christopher Kirsch (PL), Ashlyn Linville, Connor Pencola, Harrison DeWeese, and Sergio Preciado-Saldana, accepted the challenge with support from faculty mentor Dr. Jonathan Beaman and Carolina Signs and Wonders industry stakeholders.
“The students immediately understood the importance of the problem,” said Kevin Putman, Operations Manager at Carolina Signs and Wonders. “Our bucket trucks are on the road every day. When visibility is compromised, so is safety.”
Operating within constraints such as weight limits, DOT dimensional requirements, vibration and non-interference with bucket movement, the engineering team created a durable yet practical, field-tested solution.
A Three-Part Solution Engineered for Real-World Conditions
After months of modeling, prototyping, and field evaluation, the UNC Charlotte team delivered a fully engineered, commercial-ready solution: 1. A Sloped Aluminum Catch Pan
Fabricated from CNC cut-and-formed 3003 aluminum, the pan captures runoff beneath the boom knuckle. The pan is sloped to 4-degrees towards the drain to ensure controlled fluid movement during operation.
2. A Reinforced Aluminum Frame
Constructed from 6063 aluminum rectangular tubing, the frame houses the pan and mounts to the catwalk using a vibration-dampening neoprene layer. It preserves full bucket motion, service accessibility, and inspection points.
3. A PVC Drainage System
Integrated PVC plumbing routes the runoff behind the cab, depositing it safely beneath the vehicle and preventing visibility issues.
Weighing only 60.4 pounds, the system performed flawlessly during vibration, drainage, and wiper-operation tests.
“Simple in concept, but exceptional in execution is exactly the type of engineering we love to see.” said Todd Golbus, CEO of Carolina Signs and Wonders. “The students designed a system that works in all weather conditions, doesn’t interfere with our operations, and dramatically increases safety for our installers.”
A Real-World Fix That’s Already Making a Difference
Carolina Signs and Wonders deployed the prototype on an Elliott M43 bucket truck for real job-site testing, and operators immediately saw an improvement. “Driving in the rain used to mean slowing down, pulling over, and cleaning the glass,” said Colton Braun, Senior Installation Technician. “With the system installed, the windshield stays clear on long drives between job sites. It’s a huge upgrade.”
What This Means for the Sign Industry
This project represents a milestone for sign companies everywhere. It exemplifies what can happen when fleet challenges are addressed through engineering, reinforcing the value of partnerships between sign manufacturers and academic engineering programs.
“It’s easy to accept certain headaches as ‘just part of the job,’” said Putman. “But when you step back and ask, ‘can this be engineered better?’, you often find the answer is ‘yes’.”
Carolina Signs and Wonders expects this design to become a fleet standard and hopes the innovation will inspire other companies to collaborate with similar engineering programs to solve industry-wide challenges.
Media Contact — Carolina Signs and Wonders
UNC Charlotte College of Engineering Senior Design Program Contact
Jim Hartman
Director of the Industrial Solutions Lab
jim.hartman@charlotte.edu
704-614-9766
Todd Golbus
Carolina Signs and Wonders
+1 704-625-2061
email us here
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