Which Truck Should I Buy If I’m New?

If you want to start a Trucking Company and don't know what type of equipment to buy because you're brand new to the Freight Game, here is where I recommend you start with.

If you're brand new, I recommend two trucks to start out with. Either you need to start with a Box Truck or a Hotshot. 

Box Truck – You will need to get a 26-footer that's dock high, and it needs to have a liftgate. Plus, brokers are preferably looking for Box Trucks with swing doors over roll-up doors. Why? more clearance equals more boxes/pallets/barrels which equals more loads and that in turn equals more money. Also, get yourself a pallet jack. 

I used to be a Freight Broker and I worked with Apple Computer, helping them move loads. I always used 24 to 26-foot Box Trucks to move those loads. I did it for over 2 years and got really good at the box truck game, moving 10+ box truckloads a day. What I just laid out are the qualifying questions a Broker is going to ask you before you start talking about how much the load will pay. The Broker is looking for a yes to all these items: "Size? (26ft), Liftgate? (yes), swing doors? (yes, but roll-up doors will work 90% of the time), do you have a pallet jack? (yes). Ok... what is the truck's current location? How long will it take to get to this zip code for a pickup..."

Over and over I’ve seen this happen where someone will want to start a trucking company and they rush out and buy the wrong equipment. They buy the first truck they see. People will buy a 16ft Box Truck or 20ft Box Truck. As a Broker, I do not what that truck showing up at the Shipper. I want to find the biggest Box Truck available to pick up the load because 50% of the time the customer, Apple Computer or whomever the shipper is, will change the load and add 2 pallets or 50 more boxes to the order, and I gave the load to a 20ft Box Truck. Well, now that Box Truck is so small and doesn't have the space for the change in quantity. I now have to redo all the work I just did. I have to call the Carrier and cancel the load on them and pay them a TONU and then I need to find a different Truck ASAP to get to the Shipper. This happens all the time. So, if you’re going to shoot, shoot to kill and book a 26ft Box Truck the first time just in case the Shipper changes the pallet quantity so you’re covered. This is why I recommend a 26ft Box Truck to start out, plus you don't need a CDL to drive a 26ft box truck. If you get a CDL it will help with lowering that insurance payment, but that's for another blog post.

Hotshot – Get yourself a GMC, Ram, Ford, or Chevy and a flatbed trailer that's 35ft to 40ft long. I recommend you only run loads that are General Freight, not Auto Hauling. General Freight covers everything from oil equipment to tractors, bobcats, piping, lumber, etc... I recommend staying away from Auto Hauling because it can be tricky with the liability of the product you’re hauling. Say you haul 4 brand new Ford Mustangs and when you make it to the delivery the Receiver realizes that a rock hit a side panel on one of the Mustangs. There will be an insurance claim made on that damage and it can take up to 6 months or longer to get paid for that load. I’ve seen it firsthand, so I recommend you stay away from that side of the business. Besides, 90% of Factoring Companies won’t Factor loads for Auto Hauling because of that exact reason.

In 2022, I had multiple first-time Carriers who just started their Trucking Company and in their first year, they cleared over $300,000 in revenue. You heard me correctly, their first year in business! So, I'm not kidding when I say that if you’re going to get into the Freight Game, get yourself a 26ft Box Truck or a Hotshot with a 35ft/40ft trailer. These are great entry-level trucks for making money and gaining experience. Then if you want, during your 2nd or 3rd year, keep on the lookout to purchase 53ft food-grade trailers to run on your power unit, or a 53ft flatbed if you can get your hands on one(53ft flatbeds are as rare as unicorns). If you can find one, you will make some damned crazy money and everyone will be saving your phone number.