Join Chicago Fleet Wraps: Installer & Designer Jobs

Chicago Fleet Wraps is actively recruiting skilled wrap installers and vehicle graphic designers for our Portage Park installation bay. We have been in business since 2001, wrapped more than 19,400 vehicles, and carry 2,800+ active fleet accounts. We run cast vinyl only, Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Supercast and 3M IJ180-CV3 along with the newer 3M IJ280, with UV overlaminate on every job. No calendered film, ever.

Why We Are Hiring Right Now

Volume is the simple answer. Our 8-day production lifecycle means trucks move in and out of the bay fast. Fleet accounts do not slow down in January when the wind off Lake Michigan makes parking lots on the Northwest Side feel like a wind tunnel. We run year-round, climate-controlled, and we need people who can keep pace with that schedule.

We have also completed more than 600 Rivian EV installs. The geometry on those vehicles is demanding. Wheel arch transitions, frunk seams, and high-crown rear quarters punish anyone who relies on cheap calendered film or skips the 3M Knifeless Tape scoring process. We do not cut directly on paint. That is not a preference. It is the reason we have zero verified paint-damage claims across 25 years of operation.

What the Work Actually Looks Like

Here is the honest picture of daily life in our bay.

The Good Parts

• Consistent volume. With 2,800+ active fleet accounts, the work does not dry up between spring and fall. You are not waiting on walk-in retail to fill your week.
• Premium materials only. Every roll on our racks is cast vinyl. Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Supercast or 3M IJ180-CV3 and IJ280. You will not be fighting film memory or edge curl from cheap calendered stock.
• Climate control. Our install bay is temperature-regulated. Vinyl applied at a consistent temperature in a Portage Park shop in February behaves. Vinyl applied in a cold garage off Cicero Avenue in February does not.
• Modern tooling. We use 3M Knifeless Tape for all seam cuts. That means less risk of scoring the substrate, cleaner lines, and a finished product that holds up to the two-year workmanship warranty we give every client.
• Free pickup and delivery. Our drivers handle logistics across Chicagoland, from Evanston down to Joliet, from Oak Park out to Naperville. You focus on installation, not on coordinating fleet managers who need their vans back by Monday morning.
• No guesswork on specs. Every job enters production with a 2-hour itemized quote already completed. By the time a vehicle hits your station, the scope is defined.

The Hard Parts

• The pace is real. An 8-day production lifecycle is not slow. Fleet clients have vehicles in rotation. A cargo van sitting in our bay is a cargo van not making deliveries on the Kennedy or the Eisenhower. Speed and quality have to coexist, and that is a skill not everyone has developed.
• EV geometry is unforgiving. The 600+ Rivian installs we have completed taught us that. High-crown panels and complex body lines require solid heat-forming technique. If your EV experience is thin, expect a learning curve.
• Winter installs require precision prep. The bay is climate-controlled, but vehicles come in cold. Surface temperature management before installation is not optional. Skipping it shows up at the two-year mark.
• Zero-damage culture is non-negotiable. We have maintained zero verified paint-damage claims across 25 years. One careless cut changes that record. That pressure is real and it should be.
• Fleet work is repetitive by nature. Wrapping the 40th white Ford Transit in a contract run is not the same creative challenge as a one-off retail car wrap. If you need constant variety to stay engaged, fleet production may wear on you.

Roles We Are Looking to Fill

Wrap Installer, Lead Level

You have at least three years of production wrap experience. You can handle a full cargo van wrap start to finish. You know how to read a printed panel before it goes down, you understand post-heat and edge sealing, and you can explain your process to a junior installer standing next to you. Experience with Rivian, Sprinter, or Transit Connect geometry is a plus. Experience with 3M Knifeless Tape is expected.

Wrap Installer, Production Level

One to three years of hands-on experience. You are solid on flat panels and getting comfortable with curves and recesses. You work clean, you do not rush your squeegee, and you do not hide mistakes. We can train technique. We cannot train honesty.

Vehicle Graphic Designer

You build print-ready wrap files. You know the difference between a design that looks good on screen and one that actually installs cleanly across a door seam on a ProMaster. You work in Illustrator. You understand bleed, overprint, and panel mapping. Fleet accounts mean you will be adapting existing brand standards across multiple vehicle classes, not always starting from a blank canvas. That requires precision more than it requires creativity.

Chicago-Specific Context That Matters

We are based in Portage Park, which puts us close to the Kennedy, the Edens, and the Tri-State. Fleet clients run routes from Wicker Park to Woodridge, from Rogers Park to the South Loop. When a client calls from a staging lot in Melrose Park needing two vans back before their Monday route, that pressure lands on the production team. Knowing Chicago logistics helps you understand why the 8-day lifecycle exists and why it cannot stretch to 12.

Chicago weather is also not abstract. Temperature swings between March and April alone can span 40 degrees. A vehicle that sat outside overnight in Irving Park comes into the bay at a very different surface temperature than one that was garaged in Rosemont. Surface preparation protocols matter here more than they do in Phoenix or Houston. If you have worked in a northern climate, you already understand this. If you have not, it is something to learn early.

What We Offer

• Competitive hourly rate, discussed during the interview based on verified experience
• Year-round work driven by 2,800+ active fleet accounts
• Cast-vinyl-only materials, no calendered film compromising your output quality
• Climate-controlled bay at 4711 N Lamon Ave #7, Chicago IL 60630
• A track record you can point to: 25 years in business, 19,400+ vehicles wrapped, zero verified paint-damage claims
• Exposure to complex installs including 600+ Rivian EVs

What We Expect

• Verifiable hands-on experience. We will ask for references and prior work examples.
• Commitment to the zero-damage standard. Every vehicle that leaves our bay reflects on a 25-year record.
• Communication. If a panel has a defect, if a print is misregistered, if something does not look right before it goes down, say so. Catching problems before installation is cheap. Fixing them after is not.
• Ability to work within an 8-day production schedule without cutting corners on prep or finish.

A Note on Our Reputation

Chicago Fleet Wraps has wrapped more than 19,400 vehicles since 2001. We carry a 4.9-star rating across 64 Google reviews. We have 2,800+ active fleet accounts across Chicagoland. The people who built that record are the reason it exists. New hires become part of maintaining it, not just benefiting from it.

If you come from a shop that cut corners on materials, skipped overlaminate to save cost, or used calendered vinyl because it was cheaper, you will notice the difference here immediately. That difference is intentional and it is the reason our wraps carry a 5 to 7 year lifespan expectation and a 2-year workmanship warranty.

People Also Ask

What qualifications does Chicago Fleet Wraps require for wrap installer positions?

Chicago Fleet Wraps requires verifiable hands-on wrap installation experience, with lead-level positions requiring at least three years of production wrap work. Applicants should have experience with cast vinyl materials, specifically Avery Dennison or 3M products, and familiarity with 3M Knifeless Tape cutting methods. Experience with commercial fleet vehicles such as cargo vans and Sprinters is preferred. EV wrap experience, particularly with high-crown panel geometry, is a plus given the shop's 600+ Rivian installs. All candidates must demonstrate a commitment to zero paint-damage standards, which Chicago Fleet Wraps has upheld across 25 years and 19,400+ vehicles.

What is it like to work at a high-volume fleet wrap shop in Chicago?

Working at a high-volume fleet wrap shop in Chicago means consistent year-round work, structured production schedules, and exposure to a wide range of commercial vehicles. At Chicago Fleet Wraps, the production lifecycle runs 8 days per vehicle and the shop serves 2,800+ active fleet accounts, so downtime is minimal. The work is steady but demanding. Chicago winters require careful surface temperature management before installation, even in a climate-controlled bay. Fleet production is often repetitive by nature, wrapping multiple units of the same vehicle type under a single contract, so installers who thrive on routine and precision do well. Installers who need constant creative variety may find fleet volume work less engaging over time.

Does Chicago Fleet Wraps hire entry-level wrap installers or designers?

Chicago Fleet Wraps hires production-level installers with one to three years of hands-on experience, which is the closest role to entry level the shop currently offers. True beginners with no prior wrap experience are not the right fit for a shop running 19,400+ cumulative vehicle wraps and a zero paint-damage record. For designers, applicants must be able to produce print-ready wrap files in Illustrator and understand panel mapping and bleed settings for commercial vehicles. The shop is based at 4711 N Lamon Ave #7, Chicago IL 60630, and interested candidates can call (312) 597-1286 to ask about current openings before applying.

How to Apply

Contact us directly. Call (312) 597-1286 and ask for the production manager. Or come to the shop at 4711 N Lamon Ave #7, Chicago IL 60630 in Portage Park. Bring examples of your work, either photos or a portfolio, and be ready to talk through your process on a specific job you are proud of. We are not looking for a resume that lists software. We are looking for someone who can explain what they actually do when they pick up a squeegee or open a print file.

If you want to send information ahead of a call, be specific. Tell us what vehicles you have wrapped, what materials you have used, and one job that did not go perfectly and what you did about it. That last part matters more than the first two.

Frequently Asked Questions