Old Time Truck Lettering: Retro Door Decal Sets

Old time truck lettering, the way we make it, is a retro-styled door decal for a company truck that still works for a living. We offer four such designs as door decal sets, each two matching decals for $189. They are new printed vinyl made to order, not antique signs.

Vintage truck door signs for a working truck

Searches for vintage or antique truck door signs often mean collectible metal signs or restoration work. This page is neither. Our sets are new vinyl decals with your own company name and numbers, for a truck that hauls today. A restored classic that needs hand-painted lettering calls for a sign painter.

The four retro sets

The names and numbers in the pictures are made-up samples that yours replace.

Roadhouse Hauling Vintage Retro

The one that feels like an old advertising poster. A worn cream panel has a red outer edge and a thin navy rule inside it. A tall red slab name sits over a navy company line, above a red long-nose truck with navy wing stripes behind it. A red ribbon carries a script slogan, and navy numbers sit between small red stars. See the Roadhouse set.

Heritage Freight Vintage Oval Badge

The tidy, family-firm option. A white panel with a navy and red double frame holds an oval badge of stars around a red truck on faded stripes. Navy serif capitals form the name, with a red script line below and navy numbers at the foot. See the Heritage Freight set.

Desert King Vintage Western Brown

The most scenic. An aged cream panel in a black frame with notched corners holds a small red crown, a speckled black western name, a sunset with mesas and cactus, and a long-nose rig pulling a trailer. A red banner carries the script slogan. See the Desert King set.

Dune Ridge Desert Vintage

The tow truck design. A sand panel in a dark brown frame holds an orange banner shape over a heavy brown name, and a rollback tow truck among cactus and mountains. Cream numbers sit on a brown band. Tow operators should also see tow truck door decals. See the Dune Ridge set.

How to get a vintage look on truck lettering

The same ingredients repeat across the four sets:

• A warm cream field instead of bright white.
• Two or three inks, such as red, navy, black or brown.
• Heavy slab or serif capitals for the name, and one script line at most.
• Stars, rules, ribbons and wings as dividers.
• A speckled, worn texture that is printed on purpose.
• Plain, heavy capitals for the USDOT and MC lines.

Script and small stars vanish at a distance, so the big name and the numbers have to carry the door.

Keep the name on the door accurate

A retro design invites flourishes such as "Co." or a slogan. The marking rule, 49 CFR 390.21, asks for the legal name or a single trade name of the carrier, as listed on its FMCSA registration (Form MCS-150), plus the USDOT number. Both go on both sides, in letters that contrast sharply and read from 50 feet in daylight. Type your registered name and check the proof. Confirm your own requirements with FMCSA or your state; our USDOT number display rules page has the summary.

Cream panels and your truck paint

Roadhouse and Desert King bring cream backgrounds. On black, navy or dark green doors they show as bright labels. On a white door the red or black frame draws the edge, and on tan or beige paint the cream blends in. Dune Ridge's sand panel sits close to tan and orange paint, where its brown frame holds the edge.

What we need

Your company name, USDOT number and optional MC number go on the product page, and we email a proof to approve before printing. A set is two decals about 18 inches wide each (a width, not a legal size) in 3M and Oracal vinyl. For another style, try a ready-made truck logo or the other illustrated door decal sets.