When fuel prices go up, profits go down, right? Not with Countrywide Signs

If you have been thinking about starting your own van-based business – and there are plenty of great reasons why you should – there’s probably one big concern that just won’t go away right now:

The insane cost of fuel.

It’s a big worry for all of us, but especially anyone who runs – or plans to run – a business on wheels. It can be one of the biggest variable costs, and right now we just don’t know where prices are heading tomorrow, let along 6 months from now. For anyone thinking about working for themselves, it is the kind of unpredictable overhead that can rapidly eat into your margins and keep you up at night.

Except if you’re a Countrywide Signs franchise owner…

Most van-based businesses simply have to absorb this cost, and see their profits go down. If your customers are one-off or irregular, you cannot go back to them and ask for more. You just have to take the hit, hope prices come down, and cut your cloth accordingly. That is the reality for a huge number of self-employed drivers and owner-operators, and they’re getting a pretty rough deal so far in 2026.

A Countrywide Signs franchise works completely differently, and this is one of the things that sets it apart most clearly from almost every other opportunity in this space. As the majority of their contracts are with retained clients on a regular and ongoing basis, many of which are large, nationwide brands, the model is built to include a fuel surcharge. When fuel prices rise, the surcharge rises with them. When prices fall, the surcharge adjusts back down.

Which means whatever happens at the pump, your costs are covered and you are never left out of pocket

This is not a workaround or a clever trick. It is a natural feature of a business built on repeat, trusted relationships. Your clients are not one-off customers you might never see again – they are long-term partners who rely on you consistently, which means the commercial relationship is stable and mature enough to accommodate that kind of transparent pricing.

While other van-based operators are scrambling to recalculate their profit margins, Countrywide Signs franchisees are cracking on with the job safe in the knowledge their bottom line is always protected – and just as strong as ever.

Net profit on this model typically runs at between 50% and 70% of turnover, significantly higher than most businesses of this kind, and a direct result of the low overhead structure and high repeat-customer base that also makes the surcharge possible in the first place.

So, if fuel costs have been one the things holding you back from making a move, it’s not only something the Countrywide Signs franchise is aware of, it’s something they have already planned for and built into their model.