Truck decal and USDOT guides
Straight answers about marking your truck: what the rules say, which numbers go on which vehicle, how big the lettering has to be, and how to choose, order and install your decals. Rules are summarized from official sources and linked, and they are not legal advice.
Rules and requirements
How Big Do USDOT Numbers Need to Be on a Truck?
The federal marking rule gives no letter height in inches. It asks for sharp contrast and lettering readable from 50 feet. Here is how to check your own truck.
Read →Where to Put the USDOT Number on Your Truck
The rule says both sides of the power unit but names no exact spot. Use this placement checklist for doors, pickups, rentals, leased trucks and trailers.
Read →Who Needs a USDOT Number? A Plain-Words Walkthrough
A step-by-step way to tell whether your truck, van or pickup counts as a commercial motor vehicle, and where state rules can change the answer.
Read →Do Pickup Trucks Need DOT Numbers? Weight, Towing and Use
A pickup can need a USDOT number or not. The answer turns on its weight rating, what it tows, how it is used and where it runs. Check each point.
Read →Do Box Trucks Need a DOT Number? Weight, Hire and State Rules
Many box trucks need a USDOT number and some need an MC number too. The answer depends on weight rating, who owns the cargo and the state you run in.
Read →Do I Need a USDOT Number for a Cargo Van or Sprinter Van?
A cargo van or Sprinter van needs a USDOT number only if it meets a weight, passenger or hazmat test in interstate commerce. Here is how to check yours.
Read →DOT Requirements for Trailers: What the Rule Covers
The federal marking rule puts the name and USDOT number on the truck or tractor, not the towed trailer. Here is where a trailer still matters, and what is optional.
Read →Do I Need to Put My Company Name on My Truck?
If your truck is covered by the federal marking rule, the operating carrier's name goes on both sides next to the USDOT number. Here is which name, and what leases change.
Read →MC Number vs DOT Number: What Each One Is
A USDOT number is the safety registration every covered carrier has. An MC number is operating authority for for-hire carriers. Here is the difference and what goes on the door.
Read →MC Number on Truck: Is It Required on the Door?
FMCSA says no federal marking requirement exists for an MC number on a truck, but you may add one. Here is the history, the limits and how to fit it on a door decal.
Read →What Is a USDOT Number? A Plain Explanation
A USDOT number is the identification number FMCSA issues to a motor carrier, shown on the truck with the company name. Here is what it is, what it is not and how to check yours.
Read →How to Get a USDOT Number: Steps, Cost and Timing
New USDOT numbers are applied for in FMCSA's Motus system. Here are the steps, an honest answer on cost and timing, and the look-alike sites to avoid.
Read →USDOT Number Lookup: Find Any Carrier for Free
FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot lets you look up a USDOT or MC number, or a company name, for free. Here is where to search and how to use what you find.
Read →State numbers
USDOT Number Requirements by State
Most states have intrastate trucks show the federal USDOT number, and a few add their own number. Here is what we verified state by state, with official links.
Read →CA Number for Trucks: Who Needs One and Where It Goes
The CA number is California's carrier ID, issued by the CHP and used as the DMV Motor Carrier Permit number. Here is who needs one and how to display it.
Read →KYU Number on a Truck: What It Is and What to Confirm
KYU is Kentucky's weight-distance tax license, not a carrier ID like a USDOT number. Here is who needs it and what to confirm with the state before ordering a decal.
Read →Texas DOT Number for Trucks: TxDOT, TxDMV and USDOT
What Texans call a TxDOT number is the TxDMV intrastate certificate, and a USDOT number is separate. Here is who must register and what DPS lists for truck markings.
Read →GVW Stickers on Trucks: Door Decals vs the GVWR Label
GVW stickers can mean the manufacturer's rating label or a decal on the door. Here is how to read GVWR and which weight rules we could verify, with official links.
Read →Choosing and ordering decals
Magnetic Truck Door Signs: What the Federal Rule Allows
The federal marking rule allows removable signs such as magnets. Here is what they must do, where magnets fail, and when an adhesive decal is the simpler choice.
Read →How Much Does Truck Lettering Cost? Line-by-Line Pricing
Truck lettering at Work Decals is priced line by line, per decal. See what each option adds, three worked examples with shipping, and what to compare in any quote.
Read →Truck Door Decal Size: Choosing 12, 18 or 24 Inches
Pick a decal width by measuring the flat part of your door, testing from 50 feet and checking the preview. The 12, 18 and 24 inch options are widths, not legal sizes.
Read →Semi Truck Lettering Fonts and Colors That Read Clearly
The federal rule names no font, only sharp contrast and 50-foot legibility. See which of our sticker and lettering color pairings read clearly and which to avoid.
Read →Truck Number Decals for Fleets: Unit Numbers Done Right
Unit numbers are a carrier's own practice, not a federal rule. See how to pick a format, which decals fit trucks and trailers, and how to order for a whole fleet.
Read →Truck Lettering Decals: Cut Letters vs Rectangular Decals
Separate cut vinyl letters and a single rectangular decal solve the same job in different ways. Compare how each is applied, how it looks and how it is repaired.
Read →Installation and care
How to Install Decals on a Truck Door: Step by Step
A plain walkthrough for applying a truck door decal yourself: clean, mark with tape, squeegee from the middle out, peel slowly and avoid the usual mistakes.
Read →How to Remove Decals from a Truck: Safe Steps
Warm the vinyl, peel it back slowly, then clear the leftover glue with the gentlest cleaner that works. Here are the steps, the paint caveats and what to do next.
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