Rule 1: never start at 1
Unit 1 tells every customer you own one truck. Start at 101 — and when dispatch says "unit 117," nobody knows it's your third vehicle. Three digits also sort cleanly in every spreadsheet and telematics system you'll ever use.
Rule 2: ranges by asset type
The system that survives growth: 100s = power units, 200s = trailers, 300s = storage containers, 400s = equipment. The number alone tells the yard what it's looking for. Leave gaps — renumbering a fleet is misery.
Where the number goes
Trucks: both doors or fenders, plus the rear. Trailers: both sides and the rear, high enough to read over a dock. Containers: a big vertical strip near the door — readable from the truck cab. Reflective vinyl earns its cost anywhere forklifts or trucks move at night.
Make it match the compliance block
Unit numbers live next to your USDOT lettering — same color, same family, one clean door. We cut unit numbers and asset tags matched to your existing lettering; send a photo of a current door and we'll match it on the proof.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change — confirm current federal and state requirements with the FMCSA and your state agency before you operate. Our state summaries were verified against primary sources July 2026.
Lettering more than one vehicle?
Fleet pricing, matched layouts across every unit, and one proof for the whole batch.
See fleet & volume pricing →