Handyman Truck Decals: What to Print and Which Logo

Handyman truck decals have one awkward problem: you do many small jobs, and a door has room for very few words. The fix is to pick one short service word, put your name and phone number around it and let the website or an estimate cover the rest. Truck lettering ideas for this trade come down to restraint, because a door crowded with a list of jobs is read by nobody.

Start with the one word that describes you

"Handyman," "Home Repair" and "Maintenance" each point in a slightly different direction. Handyman reads as small jobs around the house. Home Repair sounds a little more serious. Maintenance fits a business serving rental properties or small offices. Choose the one your customers would search for, because that is the word they will recognize on a door.

Skip lists such as "Drywall, Painting, Plumbing, Doors, Fences." Four jobs on a door look scattered, and some of them may need a trade license in your state. Check with your state licensing board whether it wants a number shown, and whether certain jobs need their own license.

Three sample doors

The text below uses made-up names and numbers.

• Pickup, quick read: ABC Handyman / (555) 010-0188
• Pickup, with a service line: ABC Handyman / Home Repair and Maintenance / (555) 010-0188
• Van, five lines: ABC Handyman Services / Home Repair and Maintenance / Serving Anytown / (555) 010-0188 / abchandyman.example

The first two come from the Business Name + Phone Number decal, $24.99 per decal. The third needs the Make-Your-Own 5-Line decal, $45 per decal, which takes any text you type. Our lettering fonts and colors guide shows which pairings stay clear on a dusty door.

The Hammer and Screwdriver logo

The Hammer and Screwdriver Handyman Logo is $120 per door. A red hammer and screwdriver cross above wide navy capitals, with your name fitted to the layout. A proof comes before printing so you can see how your own name sits. The design reads as "tools," which is the quickest shorthand for this trade.

Two choices to think about:

• Name length. The wide navy letters take up room, so shorter names such as "Fixit Handyman" fit better than "Anytown Home Repair and Handyman Services." A long name might wrap to extra lines on the proof.
• Trade word. The layout carries a word like "Services" in the third line. Make sure the word that describes you is the one that appears.

Color tip for work trucks

Red and navy stand out on a white or light truck. On a red truck, the red tools blend into the paint. On a navy or black truck, the navy letters disappear. A rectangular decal carries its own background color and avoids both problems. If you prefer a contour cut, which trims the decal to the logo's outline for $10 more per door, keep it for white or silver vehicles. Our guide on cut letters versus rectangular decals compares the two styles.

Plain lettering or the logo

If you are just starting out, plain lettering does the main job. The logo helps once you want matching business cards, shirts and an invoice header, since a symbol can be recognized at a glance. Many handymen start with name and phone, and move to a logo when they have a second vehicle.

A pickup towing a utility trailer may raise another question: whether a truck needs a USDOT number depends on weight and use. The who needs a USDOT number guide lays out the tests. Similar trades with their own pages: remodeling trucks and painting trucks.