Full of the Pipe has always been special to Truck Boards Ireland 

08/07/2025

Going back to its inception, Truck Boards Ireland has enjoyed a very special association with Full of the Pipe. Cavan man James Conway founded and runs this exceptional enterprise and can’t wait for Full of the Pipe Convoy 25 at Mondello Park. 

In many respects, Full of the Pipe has been central to the various landmarks and milestones that have seen Truck Boards Ireland emerge and develop into an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of LED light boards to suit all makes and models of trucks, with an ever-growing footprint not just across Ireland and the UK but globally. 

The quality of these truck signs is second to none and by also delivering an unbeatable aftersales service to ensure the best possible customer care, Truck Boards Ireland continues to go from strength to strength, invariable retaining customers and also consistently attracting new ones. 

James was a secondary school teacher working in Limerick when in January, 2016, he started to familiarise himself with a laser cutter and engraver. He moved back home to Virginia in Cavan and bought his own laser cutting and engraving machine in June of that year. Initially, the truck boards were a way to supplement his teaching income but by January, 2017, he gave up teaching altogether. 

Full of the Pipe had been staged at the Cavan Equestrian Centre in 2016, and it was here that he got a great opportunity to showcase to the public the fantastic products he was able to manufacture. He displayed some of the pieces he’d been working on and the response was emphatically positive… 

“Who knows what might have happened if I hadn’t gone to Full of the Pipe that year? I displayed the pieces I’d been working on and I actually ended up going to the UK on the Sunday to buy the machine I needed to make the truck boards myself … I went as a passenger with somebody who had come over for Full of the Pipe, having met him there.” 

James is a regular at truck shows in Ireland and the UK. It’s a great way of meeting up with customers new and old … in person. “I’ve been at every Full of the Pipe since that first one in June, 2016,” he continues. “I’m a huge supporter of Full of the Pipe – it’s a great show and a great place to touch base with customers and get your name out there. To show your face and put a name to the business and show your personality. It’s important to get it out there that you’re not just a faceless entity hiding behind a Facebook page or website.” 

Indeed, Jason’s genuine and warm personality is one of the many reasons why Truck Boards Ireland has been such a big success. “Well, I set up the Facebook page initially and never invested much into paid advertising because a quality product will sell itself. That approach is working well because as hard and as fast as I can make them, they are leaving at the other end.” 

Jason runs the business himself and calls upon friends and family from time to time to help out and / or accompany him on the road, to shows, etc. “I have no staff and the reason for that is that I have to keep the standards as high as they are. I design, make, sell and pack the signs myself and everything is done to the standard I’d expect. You are only as good as the last sign you make and if it isn’t up to your usual high standards then you are in trouble. You have to keep the standards up and there’s more longevity in the business that way.” 

The man behind Truck Boards Ireland is delighted to have witnessed the exponential growth of a truck show that’s dear to his heart: “Full of the Pipe has grown every year and has moved from Cavan to Punchestown and now to Mondello Park for the last few years. It’s the No.1 show in Ireland and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. 

“Full of the Pipe and Tipperary are the two best shows in Ireland and I haven’t missed either since I started Truck Boards Ireland. You have a good few people coming over from the UK every year and it’s always great to see them. The show is a great window for showing what you are doing and you meet customers face to face and it all spreads through word of mouth and grows.” 

James has had a love of trucks and trucking all his life. His late father was a truck driver and he fondly remembers going out with him on drives, while his brother has a truck with Lakeland Dairies. His own career took him into teaching and then back towards trucks in an unexpected way. As a Woodwork and Technical Graphics teacher, SolidWorks was the programme he taught students and it’s still the one he uses today to make the in-demand truck boards. 

Conor Fenton of Fenton Truck & Trailer in Fermoy, an old college friend, was a massive help in the early days of Truck Boards Ireland. “I was trying to come up with an external source of income to supplement the teaching and when I started doing the signs I used to run all the ideas by him. Conor gave me some very good level-headed advice, a solid second opinion, and that helped get me off to a good start.” 

James designs and manufactures a range of stunning multicolour LED light boards which come with a remote control to change colour or adjust brightness. He stocks a standard range at all times for all popular models including Scania, Volvo, DAF, Iveco, etc. and these can also be customised within reason if required. While the main market for Truck Boards Ireland is Ireland and the UK, he has sold upwards of 100 items to customers in Australia while other busy export markets include New Zealand, Canada and the United States. 

All the money he makes from the business is being invested into expanding and advancing the family farm so that the next generation can have a good start in life and not only have a healthy lifestyle but also learn how to make food for themselves and others. 

Shane has had a new display trailer built – a box-van trailer with opening side panel – which is going to make its public debut at Full of the Pipe 2025, where Truck Boards Ireland will display a full range of signs as well as running some new ideas by customers to see what the demand might be. 

“There are several people I dealt with in 2016 who have got a new truck every year since and bought a new sign off me every time,” he concludes. “They tend to come back to me because they get to know me as a person, and they are getting a good product with a good backup service. I make these from scratch and I can give the aftersales care that’s needed. 

“I’ve seen competition come and go with cheap imported goods that they can’t back up with proper service. They all disappear and more will come and make the same mistakes and disappear but I’ll still be here because I look after all my customers and I enjoy what I do. This is what I want to do and I intend to keep doing it.” 

Full of the Pipe Truck Show Ireland is on July 12 & 13 in Mondello Park