Fernandez
Writer, RigCaptain buying guides and tools
How the guides are put together
Fernandez writes the buying, financing and leasing guides and the 22 free calculators on this site for the RigCaptain dispatch desk. Each guide starts from the reader's own deal sheet, cites the IRS, FMCSA, federal regulations or a dated market report for every figure, and labels made-up numbers as EXAMPLE. Finance and tax pages explain how things work and say plainly that they are not advice. The full rules are in the editorial policy.
Guides by Fernandez
Financing
- Truck financingBank, dealer, captive and equipment loans laid out on one deal sheet.
- Financing ratesWhat moves your APR and what one point costs over the full term.
- First-time financingA plan from the first quote to the first load, for new buyers.
- Bad credit financingWhat is possible with a low score, and what it adds to the payment.
- Zero down financingWhere the down payment goes when an ad says no money down.
- Refinancing a truck loanWhen a new loan saves money and when fees and payoff terms eat it.
- Truck and trailer financingOne loan or two, and when to skip owning the trailer.
- Dump truck financingSeasonal work against a payment that comes due every month.
Leasing
- Truck leasingThe four kinds of semi truck lease, side by side.
- What leasing costsEvery line item in a lease, priced out per month and per mile.
- Lease vs buyThe same truck on two deal sheets, with a template to run yours.
- Lease to ownCarrier lease-purchase programs against dealer lease-to-own deals.
- Bad credit leasingWhy a lease can be easier to get with weak credit, and the price of that.
Used trucks
- Used semi truck guideFrom the spec sheet to a signed, clean title.
- Used truck checklistEvery check marked pass, ask or walk away.
- Semi truck auctionsHow auctions run, what fees to expect and how to set a ceiling.
Cost and value
- What a semi truck costsNew and used prices for 2026, with sources and dates.
- Monthly payment tablesPayments by price, term and rate, so you can read your own row.
- Semi truck brandsThe seven US makers, their models and their engines.
Data and templates
- Price index and forecastUsed Class 8 prices month by month, with the sources behind each.
Covering the payment
- Can dispatch cover the payment?The honest math on loads, fees and a monthly note.
- Talk to a dispatcher firstWhat a dispatcher can tell you about a truck before you sign.
The calculators are listed on the tools page. Spotted an error in a guide? Send it through the contact page.