How to Choose the Right Message Board

Arrow board or changeable message sign? The right choice depends on what you need drivers to understand. Here is how to decide.

Message boards come in two main types, and picking the right one starts with a question: do you need to point drivers somewhere, or explain something to them? Arrow boards do the first. Changeable message signs do the second. Many jobs want both.

Arrow boards

An arrow board directs traffic out of a closed lane. It comes in 15-lamp and 25-lamp versions. The 25-lamp board reads from farther away and holds up better in bright daylight, so it suits higher-speed roads. The 15-lamp board fits lower-speed work where sight distance is shorter. Choose the size by how far upstream drivers need to see it.

Changeable message signs

A CMS shows text, so it can do what an arrow board cannot: explain the reason for a closure, post a detour, or warn of a delay. If your work zones need context, not just direction, you need a CMS. For complex or shifting jobs, run both, with the CMS upstream to inform and the arrow board at the taper to direct.

Do I need a 15-lamp or 25-lamp arrow board?

Choose based on speed and sight distance. Higher-speed roads need the 25-lamp board for its longer readable range; lower-speed work is fine with the 15-lamp.

Can I get both on one truck?

Yes. We upfit trucks that carry both an arrow board and a changeable message sign, so a single vehicle handles direction and information.