The honest 2026 menu: two doors $150–$350 · doors + rear package $300–$700 · DOT pairs from $40 · boat name and registration $60–$150. A work truck averages 30–70 miles a day in front of exactly the local audience you want — lettering it is the one ad purchase that never stops running.
| Package | Typical 2026 installed |
|---|---|
| Two doors (name, phone, license #) | $150 – $350 |
| Doors + tailgate or rear window | $300 – $500 |
| Full letter package (doors, rear, DOT, web) | $450 – $700 |
| USDOT / MC number pair | $40 – $80 |
| Boat name + registration numbers | $60 – $150 |
The callback test: the only design rule that matters on a moving vehicle is whether someone can catch the phone number at a red light. Name big, number bigger, everything else optional. If the layout needs explaining, it needs deleting.
Mock up the door text in the designer to see your layout at real size, then send it to a shop for the vehicle-ready quote (cast vinyl + application).
Type your words, style them, and send them to your area’s top-rated shops.
Basic two-door lettering (business name, phone, license number) runs $150–$350 installed in 2026. The full package — doors, tailgate or rear, DOT if needed — lands $300–$700. Against what a lettered truck earns in calls over five years, it's the best ad money in the trades.
Interstate commercial vehicles over 10,000 lbs need USDOT numbers on both sides, in letters at least 2 inches tall, in a color contrasting the background, readable from 50 feet. Most shops cut compliant pairs from $40 — done in a day, legal for years.
Different animals: lettering ($150–$700) puts your name and number on the truck; a full wrap ($2,500–$5,000+) turns the whole vehicle into a billboard. Start with lettering — you can always graduate. A clean lettered door often reads more professional than a busy wrap anyway.
Quality cast vinyl, professionally applied and removed, protects the paint under it — trucks often come out of lettering with the door panels looking newer than the rest. Bargain vinyl left baking for a decade is the exception; buy quality, remove properly.
Vinyl lettering runs about $10 per square foot of cut letters in 2026 — most orders land $25–$150.
Read the guide →Vinyl banners run $4–$7 per square foot in 2026 — a classic 3×6 lands $75–$125, hemmed and grommeted.
Read the guide →Yard signs run $15–$25 each with stakes in 2026, dropping near $10 at quantity 50+.
Read the guide →