Truck Door Signs: Vinyl Decals vs Magnetic and Hard Signs

Truck door signs, as most people use the phrase, are permanent vinyl lettering stuck to the door, and that is what we make. We sell adhesive vinyl decals printed to order. We do not sell magnetic signs or rigid hard signs, so if you need one of those, you will have to buy it elsewhere. This page helps you pick the kind of door sign that suits your truck.

Three kinds of truck door signs

• Vinyl decal (ours): adhesive, so it is on the truck every trip and cannot be forgotten. It is not made to be moved. Our 3-year guarantee replaces a decal that peels or comes off, but not damage from removing and reapplying one.
• Magnetic sign: grips steel only, moves between vehicles, and can fall off or go missing. Our magnetic USDOT signs guide covers the details.
• Hard sign: a rigid panel fixed to the door or body. How it attaches varies by sign, so ask the seller what it does to your paint.

The federal marking rule, 49 CFR 390.21, lets the marking be painted on or be a removable device, as long as it appears on both sides, contrasts sharply, reads from 50 feet in daylight and is kept legible. It judges the result, not the material, so any of the three can be done well or badly.

When vinyl signs for trucks make sense

Vinyl is the simpler choice when:

• the truck keeps one name and one number;
• the door is aluminum or fiberglass, where a magnet will not hold;
• you want the sign on the truck every day without thinking about it.

A removable sign makes more sense on a shared truck or a pickup that works only some days. The pickup truck door decals page covers that split.

What to put on truck door signage

A door gets read in a glance from the next lane, so put the items in this order:

1. Company name. If the truck needs USDOT marking, use the legal name or single trade name on your FMCSA registration.
2. USDOT number, written as USDOT 1234567, if the truck is covered.
3. Phone number, for work trucks where that is what people copy down.
4. City or a short tagline, last.

MC is optional. FMCSA says no marking requirement exists for it, so add it only if you hold authority and want it seen.

Sample layouts, with made-up names:

• NORTHWIND FREIGHT, BOISE, ID, USDOT 1234567, MC 890123 on one decal: the Custom USDOT Logo.
• HARBOR PLUMBING and 555-0119: the Business Name + Phone Number decal.
• A name alone: the Company Name Decal. It carries no USDOT number, so on a covered truck it is not the federal marking by itself.
• Numbers only: the USDOT + MC Two-Line, beside a name decal.

Leave off long taglines, lists of services and small print. If it will not read from the next lane, it does not belong on the door.

Sizes and placement for semi truck door signs and pickups

Our decals are 12, 18 or 24 inches wide. Those are widths, not legal sizes: the rule sets no height in inches and does not say where on the side the marking goes (49 CFR 390.21). A flat stretch of door is the usual spot.

Tape a paper rectangle at each width to the door, keep clear of the handle, window trim and seams, and walk back 50 feet. Then put the second sign in the same spot on the other door. Cab doors differ from pickup doors, so see semi truck door decals and the size guide. For the whole range, see truck door decals.