Car Hauler Decals: Owner-Operator and Leased Truck Layouts

Car hauler decals depend on whose authority the truck runs under. On your own authority, the doors carry your name, your USDOT number and, if you hold operating authority, an MC line. Leased to a carrier, FMCSA guidance says the operating carrier's markings are the ones to show, and the words "operated by" come before its name when two or more names are on the truck.

Layout A: your own authority

On your own authority, 49 CFR 390.21 puts your legal name or single trade name and your USDOT number on both sides of the power unit, and the name is the one listed on your FMCSA registration. A sample door, with made-up details:

• BLUE MESA AUTO TRANSPORT
• TULSA, OK
• USDOT 5678123
• MC 334455

That is the Custom USDOT Logo, $32 per decal, so two for both doors. Already lettered the name and USDOT number and just got your authority? A single MC Number Decal is $18.99. The USDOT + MC two-line is $22.99 and carries no name line.

The MC line is optional. FMCSA says no marking requirement exists for it, and that companies hauling federally regulated commodities for others for a fee in interstate commerce generally need operating authority. Whether your freight and arrangement fit that test is a question for FMCSA. Our MC number guide covers the display side.

Layout B: leased to a carrier

FMCSA guidance says the markings of the carrier responsible for the operation of the vehicle must be displayed, and that when two or more names are on it, the operating carrier's name is preceded by "operated by." For property-carrying leases, 49 CFR 376.11 has the carrier identify the equipment during the lease.

If you keep your own name on the door, a sample reads:

• KESSLER AUTO HAUL
• OPERATED BY
• PRAIRIE STATE CAR CARRIERS
• USDOT 4567890

The Operated By Decal, $27.99, puts the words, the carrier's name and its USDOT number on one decal. Ask the carrier for the exact wording in writing, then check its name and number on the free SAFER Company Snapshot before you print. Our guide to "operated by" and "leased to" goes deeper.

Keep the lease on its own decal

A decal is made to stay put, and our guarantee does not cover removing one and reapplying it. So keep lease-specific lines on their own decal and your own name on another. When the lease ends, you peel one decal instead of redoing the door, and removing truck decals shows how without hurting paint.

Some carriers also assign unit numbers. If yours does, ask for the exact number and format first. The Truck Unit Number Decal is one line at $18.99, and it should sit apart from the USDOT line so the two cannot run together.

Cab doors, colors and install

Tractor doors have handles, recesses and body lines, so tape out the spot and check a paper mock-up before you choose a width. The semi truck door decals page compares stacks, and the door decal size guide shows the paper test.

Choose a pair with a wide gap in lightness, such as white lettering on a black sticker or black on yellow. In the builder, red and blue lettering add $2 per decal. For a leased unit, ask the carrier whether it has color preferences. Follow how to install truck door decals for the application. Preview your own lines in the door builder.