How To Make Your Own Trucking Company Logo

Logos make businesses instantly recognizable. When you think of some of the world’s most famous brands—like Apple or McDonald’s—what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

You’re not alone if you’re thinking of the famous bitten apple and golden arches. Research shows people remember brand logos more vividly than brand names.

This makes it all the more important for your trucking business to have an easily recognizable and memorable logo. A well-thought-out logo can help you communicate your brand values and philosophy to customers with few words required.

Another benefit of effective logos is that they’re attention-grabbing. Additional research shows consumers are much more likely to buy from businesses that grab their attention.

What better way to do this than through a sleek and vibrant brand logo?  

Now that we’ve established the importance of a brand logo, let’s explore a few trucking design ideas you can use for your business logo.

We’ll look at some of the latest design trends, and explain (with examples) how you can use elements like fonts, colors, and images to communicate important information about your company—all through your logo.

Trucking company logo ideas and trends

A business logo should include the basic ideas people usually associate with that business sector.

Consider a scenario where you’re designing the logo for a beauty and self-care brand, you might want to include soft colors and delicate patterns like flower petals.

On the other hand, a trucking company might want to portray a logo that embodies ideas like trust and mobility.

For example, shipping and e-commerce giant FedEx cleverly incorporates a forward arrow in its logo in the negative space between the letters “E” and “X.” As a result, the logo communicates the ideas of speed, mobility, and growth to customers.

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Another great example of an innovative transportation logo is the worldwide logistics company DHL. The three-letter name of the company is presented on a slant and surrounded by thin red stripes on both sides.

These stripes resemble those on a racecar and the slant signals speed and agility. Furthermore, the space between the letters is designed to look like a lightning bolt, creating a subconscious message about fast and efficient delivery.

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FedEx and DHL are just two examples of well-designed transportation and logistics logos. But how do you choose the right elements for your logo?

Next, we’ll go over a few tips that can help.

Color schemes

Color schemes are central elements of any business logo. When used effectively, you can leverage different colors to evoke emotions in customers.

This helps make your logo eye-catching and memorable—increasing a viewer’s likelihood of using your products or services.

Let’s understand this better with the help of a few examples.

Red is an attention-grabbing color used by leading brands like H&M, Netflix, CNN, and Adobe (not to mention traffic lights!)

The combination of red and yellow conveys both excitement and warmth, which is why several leading brands like McDonald’s and DHL use it.

Apart from being distinctive, certain colors can also help communicate your brand’s values and philosophy.

For example, if you own a sustainable trucking company that offsets its emissions, you can incorporate nature-centered hues like greens and browns in your logo.

On the other hand, if your focus is on speed and agility, you might use the combination of red and yellow.

Graphic designers have in-depth knowledge of color palettes and understand how you can use them to communicate what your company is and what it stands for. You may find consulting a graphic designer helpful if you’re unsure what colors best represent your company.

Logo fonts

Font design is another important element of a business logo. Like colors, fonts can help communicate your brand ideas and philosophies.

Luxury brands like Gucci and Hermes have historically used serif fonts to portray themselves as well-established and trusted entities.

However, following a change in global trends, several of them are now shifting towards sleeker sans-serif fonts to achieve a stylish, modern look. This is an excellent example of consumer trends influencing font choices made by elite, top-tier brands.

To communicate ideas like strength, reliance, and integrity, your trucking company might use heavier fonts with bold and prominent serif edges; or slimmer sans-serif fonts to portray modernity and agility.

Consider company philosophy and your target consumer demographic while choosing a logo font.

Your goal should be to choose a font that communicates your company’s core values while being attractive to your target customers.

Logo design elements

Once you’ve chosen the right font and color for your trucking company logo, it’s time to add some imagery.

Most trucking companies incorporate elements that signal speed, strength, and agility in their logos. This is why elements like stripes, lightning bolts, coats of arms, and truck icons are frequently used in trucking company logos.

Truck manufacturing company Eicher’s logo is a great example of this.

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The logo uses a series of stripes moving forward, a symbolic representation of the horse’s mane and a reference to strength and power. In this way, Eicher’s logo incorporates two core trucking-related ideas into one simple design.

Logo design best practices to consider

Let’s go over a few general logo design practices to consider while creating a logo for your business. See how you can use these best practices to produce a professional logo for your trucking company.  

Simplicity

Remember to keep your logo simple and easy to grasp. Using clean, well-spaced typography can help you ensure this.

Simple logos are easier for the human brain to remember since they encapsulate only a few key ideas in a clean and efficient manner. Messy or crowded logos, on the other hand, can confuse customers as to what’s being said.

The goal of your brand logo should be to grab and hold the consumer’s attention—and simple, well-crafted logos are the best way to do that. One of the most famous examples of this is Nike’s ‘Swoosh’, which has become one of the most iconic logos of the 20th century.

Memorability

A logo isn’t just a marketing tool but an integral part of your brand identity. It’s important to make your company logo memorable to ensure that customers recognize your brand and associate it with familiarity and trust.

You can include unique features (like FedEx’s forward arrow or DHL’s lightning bolt) within your logo to make it memorable. Choosing the right combination of font style, colors, and design elements is essential to make your logo stand out.

Scalability

Scalability is an aspect of brand logos that companies sometimes ignore. Think about it: you’ll likely use a brand logo in various settings, sizes, and dimensions.

Too many small elements might be unrecognizable in smaller dimensions, such as on company business cards, T-shirts, or social media posts—while large elements might seem too imposing on the side of a freight truck.

It’s important to strike the right balance to ensure your logo is proportionate, wherever you use it.

Tools to create a trucking company logo yourself

You can create an eye-catching business logo using various digital tools and software. Let’s review some of the most popular graphic design tools.

Adobe Illustrator

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Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for graphic design projects. Its advanced functionality and exclusive features—such as Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)—make it a useful tool for professional graphic design projects.

It may, however, be a little advanced for beginners who will initially require time to figure out the software. You can convert files created in Illustrator to a variety of file formats:

• AutoCAD Drawing (.dwg)
• AutoCAD Interchange (.dxf)
• BMP (.bmp)
• Enhanced Metafile (.emf)
• Flash (.swf)
• JPEG (.jpg, .jpe, .jpeg)
• GIF (.gif)
• Macintosh PICT (.pct)
• Photoshop (.psd)
• PNG (.png)

This makes Illustrator compatible with other graphic designing tools like AutoCAD and Adobe Photoshop.

Canva

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Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design tool known for its simple user interface and easily accessible features.

While it doesn’t offer as many advanced features as Adobe Illustrator, you don’t need to have experience with design tools to use it.

The free version is a great choice if you want to try a new tool. The paid version, Canva Pro, offers a few advanced features you can use to make company logos.

Canva’s features include the following:

• Curved text generator
• Photo effects
• Image enhancer
• Add frames to photos
• Add text to photos
• Online video recorder
• Video trimmer
• Convert videos to MP4

Tailor Brands Logo Maker

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Tailor Brands Free Logo Maker is an option for users without experience in graphic design. Unlike the other options, Tailor Brands designs a logo for you with the help of an AI tool.

All you need to do is enter your business name, industry, and a few font and image options you’d like the AI to work with. The algorithm then uses this information to design a brand logo for you.

The best trucking company logo examples

Need inspiration? Check out these examples of trucking company logo designs to help get the ideas flowing.

UPS

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It’s no surprise that UPS—one of the world’s biggest logistics and trucking companies—has a sleek, coat-of-arms-style logo.

It uses a specially commissioned sans-serif font called UPS Sans, which makes the brand feel established, yet modern. The use of lowercase characters helps the brand come off as more approachable to customers.

This is balanced by an understated color palette of brown and golden-yellow colors, giving it a refined, sophisticated, and professional look.

Schneider National

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Schneider National is another pan-American trucking giant with a meticulously designed, yet minimalist, logo.

It uses a popping orange-white or orange-black palette to be noticeable. The slightly slanted lettering also cleverly incorporates a small forward arrow, signaling forward movement and speed.

In fact, reliability, control, and constantly moving forward are all important aspects of Schneider National’s founding philosophy.  

Landstar System

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Landstar System is a logistics and transportation company whose logo is an example of sleek and classy yet simple and modern.

The logo uses simple blue lettering that communicates the ideas of security and trustworthiness. This is in line with Landstar’s philosophy and goal of providing safe, secure, and reliable service.

It also incorporates a star to visually represent the name of the company and a black ring around it to suggest reach and coverage. This communicates the idea that Landstar Systems is always available for service anywhere the customer goes.

Dupre Logistics

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Freight shipping company Dupré Logistics is an example of a theme-based logo design. Dupré specializes in long-haul fuel delivery across the U.S.

The company’s logo is a big drop of liquid with the company name written inside it. A blue-and-white color palette finishes this simple, elegant, and recognizable design.

As with Landstar, the predominant use of blue here symbolizes notions of security and trust.

Should you hire someone to create your trucking company logo?

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There’s a lot to be gained by hiring a professional graphic designer to create your trucking, moving, or transportation company logo. You’ll be able to leverage their expertise and in-depth knowledge of the craft.

A designer should also be able to capture the ideas of your marketing and branding teams to develop a logo that communicates strength, speed, and integrity.

How much does it cost to hire someone for logo design?

If you don’t have a graphic designer on your team, you can contract an independent designer to do the project for you.

Talent platforms like Upwork offer affordable options starting at $14 an hour. You can select from a wide range of professionals with years of industry experience and relevant certifications.

Hiring an independent designer is especially beneficial for startups or early-stage businesses where affordability and flexibility are top priorities.

Easily hire a professional to create your trucking company logo

Are you looking for a logo creator to make a custom trucking logo design? Try Upwork. You can browse through a variety of professional logo designers on Upwork.

You can choose a professional who best suits your needs and pay them on a per-hour basis.

If you’re a graphic design professional looking to work on eye-catching logos, Upwork can help you find a global clientele. We take pride in being the world’s work marketplace. Visit Upwork today to find projects you’d love to work on.

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Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyse and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.