Excavating Truck Lettering: Door Decals for Dig Crews

Excavating truck lettering is your first impression on a new site. When the machine arrives on a trailer behind a pickup, the neighbors read the truck before they meet you. A name, "excavating" or "site work" as the trade word, and a phone number cover what most people want to know.

If you also search for construction truck lettering ideas, our construction truck decals page is a broader starting point. This page stays with the dig crew.

The trucks in an excavating fleet

The tow pickup. It hauls the trailer and shows up on every job, so it works as your moving sign. Put the name and phone on both doors.

The dump truck. It spends more time on public roads, so it is the likeliest to carry a USDOT line. Whether a truck needs a USDOT number depends on weight and use. Who needs a USDOT number is the place to check, and the dump truck decals page shows a layout.

The lowboy or equipment trailer. The side panel is a natural place for a bigger name. See trailer decals for sample text.

The service truck. If you carry fuel and parts, this is another door that deserves your name.

Sample door lines

All made up:

• GRANITE RUN EXCAVATING, SITE WORK AND UTILITIES, (555) 010-0159
• TWO RIVERS DIRT WORK, SERVING HALE COUNTY, (555) 010-0116
• Name over a USDOT line for a heavier truck, built with the Custom USDOT Logo.

If all you need is name and number, the Business Name + Phone decal is simplest. A license or contractor number is a separate question: check with your state licensing board whether it wants one shown on the truck.

The Excavator Arm Block Logo

The Excavator Arm Block Logo pairs a yellow excavator arm and bucket with heavy black capitals. There is no mystery about the trade, which saves you from adding a long description.

Read the colors before you order:

• The yellow arm stands out on a dark truck and on a mud-brown job site. On a white or pale door it loses punch, though the black name still reads.
• The black capitals carry the message on light paint and disappear on black. Dark trucks should keep the rectangle.
• Contour cut (+$10 per door) trims the vinyl to the arm and letter shapes. The shape is irregular, so it looks sharpest on a flat, clean door.
• Price: $120 per door, with your name fitted and proofed before printing.

Your own proof is the place to ask how the logo sits against your truck's paint.

Dirt, mud and the lettering budget

Dig trucks get dirtier than most. Keep lettering high on the door, use high contrast and keep the line count low: the more lines, the smaller each one. Pairing a logo with a short phone line is easier to read than four lines of small text. For what lettering costs across the options, see truck lettering cost, and die-cut letters vs rectangular decals explains our rectangle approach.