Truck buying guides
Everything here starts from the deal sheet: price, down payment, APR, term and what the truck has to earn to carry it. Every price and rate has a source and a date, and every finance page tells you plainly that it is information, not advice. We dispatch trucks for a living; we do not lend, lease or sell them.
Loan, lease or something in between?
Pin up to three and read them side by side, then open the guide that fits.
COMPARE TRAY · PIN UP TO 3
| Fact | Truck loan | Lease |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the title | You, with the lender's lien on it | The leasing company |
| Cash up front | Down payment plus any fees not financed | First payment and a deposit, set by the lessor |
| End of term | You own it outright after the last payment | Return it, buy it or lease again, by lease type |
| Main risk | Owing more than the truck is worth in the early years | Mileage, wear and return conditions |
| Fits when | You plan to keep the truck for years | You want a fixed monthly cost and a newer truck |
General facts, not terms from any lender or lessor. Your contract decides.
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.
Bought the truck? Now keep it loaded.
We find and negotiate freight for your rig. Each rate con comes to you in your company name, and you sign it or pass.