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Landscaping truck lettering: C-27 license, USDOT with a trailer, and what to put on the doors

Two rules, one door
CSLB: business name and license number, 3/4 inch minimum, on commercially registered vehicles used in the business. FMCSA and California DMV: USDOT and CA number once the combination is rated 10,001 lbs or more. A half-ton pickup with a 16 foot tandem trailer is over.
The layout that works
Company name biggest, then 'CSLB Lic# 1098765', then USDOT and CA on the next lines. Four lines fit a pickup door at 1.5 inch numbers. Add the phone number if you want the neighbors calling.
Green on white
Landscapers love green lettering. It reads fine on white; on a green or dark truck it disappears and fails the contrast rule. Our designer warns you.
Related questions
Is a maintenance gardener a contractor?
Maintenance-only gardeners don't need a C-27 license and don't have to show one. Anything involving installation or construction over the CSLB threshold does.
Does the trailer need lettering?
Not federally. Some owners put the name on it for advertising; that's optional.
Checked against 49 CFR 390.21, 13 CCR 1256 and B&P 7029.6, September 2026. Plain-English summary, not legal advice.
