Reaching Trucking Companies: Direct Mail and SMS Campaigns Using DOT and B2B Data

Key Points:

• Direct mail and SMS outperform digital ads in the trucking industry due to higher open and response rates.

• DOT and B2B data enable precise targeting by fleet size, region, and freight type.

• Tools like Postalytics and Salesfully make execution easy and scalable.

Just launched your new business and need resources to ace direct marketing at lower costs with higher ROI?

Check out Salesfully’s course, Mastering Sales Fundamentals for Long-Term Success, designed to help you attract new customers efficiently and affordably.

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When it comes to selling into the logistics sector, digital ads often go the way of your cousin’s resume in the HR inbox: ignored. But what if the key to connecting with fleet managers wasn’t a flashy landing page or a 60-second explainer video—but instead a well-timed postcard or a text that reads like it came from a colleague?

Direct mail and SMS campaigns, when powered by solid Department of Transportation (DOT) and B2B data, offer a more focused, more respectful, and more effective alternative to the typical spray-and-pray digital approach.

Why the Usual Methods Don’t Stick

Fleet managers and trucking company decision-makers are saturated with LinkedIn messages, cold emails, and pop-ups. According to a recent report by Forbes, the average American worker receives over 120 emails per day, most of which are never read. But these same fleet operators are far less overwhelmed in their physical mailbox—or text inbox.

SMS campaigns, in particular, benefit from sky-high open rates, often exceeding 90% within the first three minutes, according to Gartner. Similarly, direct mail has a 42.2% read or scan rate per the Data & Marketing Association, with far less competition than email.

Targeting With DOT and B2B Data

So how do you know which trucking companies to contact? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) maintains a publicly accessible database of registered carriers.

This DOT data can be segmented by:

• Fleet size (number of power units)

• Operating status (active or inactive)

• State or region

• Years in operation

• Type of freight (hazardous, general cargo, etc.)

When combined with B2B databases from providers like Salesfully, you can enrich that DOT data with additional firmographics like decision-maker contacts, emails, and even SIC/NAICS codes to refine your offer.

Here’s a sample of how segmentation can work:

Fleet Size	Region	Sample Strategy
1–5 trucks	Rural Midwest	SMS reminder to book compliance services
6–25 trucks	Southeast	Postcard offer for fuel card programs
26+ trucks	Nationwide	Hybrid campaign: Mail, SMS + call follow-up

Direct Mail that Speaks Their Language

You don’t need an agency to create effective direct mail. Focus on three things:

1. Clarity: Make the offer clear in under 10 words.

2. Authority: Include DOT-relevant terms (“We help fleets under 20 units save on insurance”).

3. CTA: Use a simple URL or QR code. Track it.

Print and ship-on-demand platforms like Postalytics or PostGrid allow for dynamic personalization at scale.

SMS Campaigns Done Right

SMS marketing requires consent—but in B2B, that bar is different. If you have a legitimate reason to contact a business about a relevant service, business-to-business communications are often exempt from the stricter consumer texting laws (though it’s always good to review TCPA guidelines or consult legal counsel).

Here’s a sample cold SMS:

Hi [First Name], saw your DOT profile and noticed you operate in TX with under 20 trucks. We help fleets like yours reduce ELD and insurance costs by 30%. Worth a quick chat?

Simple. Relevant. No spammy links.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), over 70% of U.S. freight carriers operate six or fewer trucks—making this niche incredibly fragmented and ripe for relationship-based marketing.

Direct mail and SMS campaigns aren’t relics—they’re tools that trucking company decision-makers actually pay attention to. By combining federal DOT data with enriched B2B insights, your message gets in front of the right person, at the right time, on the right channel.

Just launched your new business and need resources to ace direct marketing at lower costs with higher ROI?

Check out Salesfully’s course, Mastering Sales Fundamentals for Long-Term Success, designed to help you attract new customers efficiently and affordably.

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