- Basic door lettering (business name, phone, DOT number) runs $150-$500 per vehicle installed
- Partial wraps start around $500-$1,500; full wraps run $2,000-$4,000 depending on vehicle size and coverage
- Design complexity, vehicle size, number of colors, and installation surface are the four things that move the price
- Lettering is the cheapest advertising a contractor can buy: one truck is seen by thousands of local drivers every week for years
The Short Answer
Most contractors, landscapers, and service businesses in Monmouth and Middlesex County spend between $150 and $500 to letter a single work truck or van. That covers the business name, phone number, a service line or two, and any required USDOT or license numbers on both doors, designed, printed, and professionally installed. A branded tailgate or rear doors adds a bit more. Move up to a partial wrap with a large graphic and you're in the $500-$1,500 range; a full color-change wrap on a van or box truck is typically $2,000-$4,000.
Those are our real starting points on the truck and vehicle lettering page, not a bait number. Where any specific truck lands inside those ranges comes down to four levers.
Lever 1: How Much of the Vehicle You Cover
Vinyl is priced by area, so coverage is the biggest single driver. Door lettering alone is a couple of square feet per side. Add the rear doors, the tailgate, and a hood or roof graphic and the material and labor both climb. A full wrap covers every painted panel, which is why it costs ten times what door lettering does even when the design is simpler.
The good news is that door lettering plus a rear panel gets you 80% of the visibility of a wrap. The people who see your truck most are the ones behind you in traffic and the ones walking past it at a job site, both of which are covered by doors and rear.
Lever 2: Vehicle Size and Surface
A Transit Connect and a 16-foot box truck are very different jobs. Larger vehicles need more material and more install time. Surfaces matter too: flat panels are quick, while deeply corrugated box-truck sides, rivets, compound curves on bumpers, and textured plastics all require more careful application and sometimes a different vinyl. If your truck has a ladder rack, a lift gate, or aftermarket toolboxes, tell us up front so the design routes around them instead of under them.
Lever 3: Design Complexity and Colors
Cut vinyl lettering in one or two colors is the most economical option and is what most contractor trucks use: name, phone, services, all in clean high-contrast letters. Multi-color logos, gradients, photos, and full-color graphics are printed rather than cut, which adds material cost and usually laminate for UV protection. If you already have vector logo files we can move quickly; if we need to rebuild or design a logo, that's a separate line item, and we handle it through our logo design and branding service.
Lever 4: Installation vs. Do-It-Yourself Decals
You can buy mail-order decals for less. What you're paying for with professional installation is straight lines, no bubbles or creases, correct placement for legibility, and vinyl that survives NJ summers and salted winters. We've re-done plenty of trucks where a DIY decal peeled at the edges within a season. Installation is included in every price we quote.
What About DOT Number Lettering?
If you operate a commercial vehicle that requires a USDOT number, federal rules require the legal business name and USDOT number displayed on both sides of the vehicle, in a color that contrasts with the background and in letters legible from 50 feet in daylight. New Jersey also has its own markings requirements for certain commercial and contractor vehicles, so check what applies to your fleet and license type. Compliance lettering on its own is one of the least expensive jobs we do; most customers pair it with their business name and phone so the truck works as an ad at the same time.
Lettering vs. Wrapping: Which Should You Buy?
For most trades businesses running one to five trucks, lettering wins on cost per impression. Wraps make sense when you want the truck itself to be the brand statement, when the vehicle's paint is in rough shape, or when you're a customer-facing service (cleaning, remodeling, medspa) where a premium look moves the needle. We break this down in more detail in Truck Lettering vs Vehicle Wraps.
How to Get an Accurate Number
Send us three things: a photo of each side of the vehicle, your logo files (or a photo of your current lettering), and what you want on the truck. We'll send back a mockup and a firm quote, usually within a day. We letter trucks across Central NJ, including Freehold, Middletown, Brick, and Sayreville, and installation happens at our shop or at your yard. Call (732) 272-1929, quotes are free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to letter a work truck in NJ?
Basic door lettering with a business name, phone, and DOT number typically runs $150-$500 per vehicle, installed. Partial wraps start around $500-$1,500 and full wraps run $2,000-$4,000.
How long does truck lettering last?
Quality cast vinyl, properly installed, lasts 5-7 years on a daily-driven work truck. Printed graphics should be laminated to hold color through NJ summers and winters.
Do you install the lettering?
Yes. Design, production, and professional installation are included in every quote. We install at our shop or on-site at your yard.
Related services: Truck & Vehicle Lettering · Business Signage · Logo Design & Branding