Flatbed Truck Decals: Door Lettering and Crew Numbering

Flatbed truck decals start on the cab doors, where the federal marking rule asks for the carrier's name and USDOT number on both sides. After that, a flatbed is short on lettering space, because it has no box wall to carry a number. Most of the work is a numbering plan: one number per truck, one per deck trailer, applied the same way every time.

Cab doors first

Under 49 CFR 390.21, the truck shows who runs it: the carrier's legal name or a single trade name plus the USDOT number, on each side, in letters that contrast sharply and can be read from 50 feet in daylight with the truck stopped. Whether your truck is covered depends on its weight rating and how you use it, which who needs a USDOT number walks through.

Two sample door layouts, with made-up details:

• One decal: RIDGEBACK STEEL HAULING, AMARILLO, TX, USDOT 2468135, MC 112358. That is the Custom USDOT Logo, $32 per decal.
• Numbers only: USDOT 2468135 over MC 112358, the USDOT + MC two-line at $22.99. It has no name line, so use it only if the name is already lettered on the same door.

Order two of either, one per door. For the trailer side of the rule, see DOT requirements for trailers.

Number the truck, the trailer and the crew

A USDOT number does not tell two flatbeds apart. A unit number does. A simple scheme is a crew letter, a dash and two digits: A-01 to A-09 for the first crew, B-01 for the second. Number the truck, not the driver, because drivers change and trucks stay.

Give each deck trailer its own number, such as DECK 07, instead of sharing the truck's. A trailer that swaps between trucks then keeps one identity, and a short log of who pulled what stays accurate.

The Truck Unit Number Decal is a single line at $18.99 per decal, enough for A-01 on both doors. For the trailer, the Trailer / Unit Number pair is $24.99 and adds a GVWR line. A unit number is your own identification, and the marking rule lets other identifying information appear if it is not inconsistent with the required name and number. Put the word TRUCK in front so "TRUCK A-01" cannot be read as the tail of a USDOT number. The unit number guide has more on formats.

Where a decal fits on a bare deck

A flatbed trailer has no sidewall. Possible spots are a headboard, a toolbox face or the outside of a frame beam, if yours has them and they are flat. Measure before you order, because our narrowest decal is 12 inches wide and some beams and toolbox faces are narrower. Raised diamond plate and textured powder coat may keep vinyl from lying flat, so a smooth painted face is the safer pick.

Stay away from anywhere chains, binders, straps or tarps drag, since they are likely to scuff a decal. A Business Name + Phone Number decal at $30.99 suits a flat headboard, for example RIDGEBACK STEEL HAULING over (555) 555-0123.

Keeping lettering readable on a working truck

Mud and road spray tend to collect low on a door, so a decal near the lower edge may get dirty first. Mount the lettering higher, above the splash line, and wash both doors. The rule asks that the marking be kept legible, per 49 CFR 390.21.

Pick a pair with a wide gap in lightness, such as black lettering on a yellow sticker or white on black. If you want the weights on the truck as well, the GVW + TARE Weight Decal is two lines at $22.99. Tare is the empty weight, and both figures should come from your own paperwork. Whether a weight display applies to you varies by state, as the GVW sticker guide explains.

Flat, painted cab doors are the easy surface. Wash and dry the door, tape out the spot and follow how to install truck door decals. Try your lines in the door builder first.