USDOT Decal Requirements for a New Trucking Company

USDOT decal requirements for a new trucking company come down to order. Register with FMCSA first, confirm the exact name on that registration, then letter the truck. The marking rule asks for that name and your USDOT number on both sides of the power unit (49 CFR 390.21), so the decal is the last thing you buy, not the first.

Step one: registration

New USDOT numbers and operating authority are applied for in FMCSA's Motus system (FMCSA). FMCSA also lists look-alike sites that imitate its pages, so start from its own links (fraud alerts). Our guide to getting a USDOT number walks through the steps.

If you will haul other people's freight for pay, MC is a separate filing. FMCSA lists a $300 fee for each type of authority (FMCSA), and the MC vs USDOT guide explains who needs it.

Step two: confirm the exact name

The rule asks for the legal name or a single trade name as listed on your registration, and FMCSA's summary says the name on the vehicle must match what is on file (FMCSA highlights). Once your number is issued, look up your own record on SAFER and copy the name exactly as FMCSA shows it. A trade name counts only if it is the one on that record.

Settle this before you open the builder. A decal is printed exactly as you type it.

Step three: letter the truck

When FMCSA adopted the rule in 2000, its news release said carriers starting operations must mark their power units before putting them into service (FMCSA). The marking is the name, then "USDOT" and the number, on both sides, in letters that contrast sharply and can be read from 50 feet in daylight while the truck is stopped. The rule sets no letter height in inches; our display rules page explains.

Layouts and a starter budget

• Company Name + USDOT Decal: name over number, $21.99 each, $43.98 for a pair.
• Custom USDOT Logo: name, city, USDOT and MC, $26 each, $52 a pair.
• USDOT Decal Sticker: number only, $12.99 each, for a truck whose name is already lettered.

Builder extras per decal: +$6 for 18 inches wide, +$14 for 24, and +$2 for red or blue lettering. Shipping is $5.99 flat and free from $99. One truck with a pair of name-and-number decals is $49.97 delivered.

Add the rest later

Authority arrives on its own schedule, so start with the USDOT pair and add MC when your number is issued: two MC Number Decals are $25.98. If you will run inside one state, check its own rules in our state requirements guide. Installation is DIY, and the install guide covers prep.