Selecting the right truck

When buying a medium-duty truck, the most important questions relate to your business – not the trucks. Before you talk to a single dealer, sit down and think through your needs and expectations.

• What will you be carrying? It doesn't get much more straightforward than this: what will your typical load be? What about your absolute maximum? These answers will determine what type of body, the size of the body, and the load rating you'll need.
• Where will you be carrying it? The primary factors to consider here are the total mileage you'll put on the vehicle and the type of driving you'll be doing. Your needs for long-distance highway driving will be much different than your needs for quick trips around a city or off-road hauling.

When gathering this information, you should make sure the truck you buy can meet your current needs as well as your projected growth. Depending on the use it gets, a new medium-duty truck can easily last 10 years or more if well maintained, so you'll want one that can grow with your business.

Gasoline vs. diesel trucks

One basic decision to make before buying a box truck is whether you want a gasoline or diesel engine. Note that this is really only an option at the lower end of the medium-duty truck range: class 3 trucks are fairly equally split between gas and diesel, and some smaller class 4 trucks are available with gas engines. At larger capacities, you'll find almost exclusively diesel trucks.

Diesel engines have more power at low RPMs, making it easier to start from a standstill with a heavy load. They also last longer than gasoline engines if properly maintained.

Gasoline engines are far less expensive to purchase. They're also quieter and pollute less than diesels do, but that advantage is smaller than it used to be because of improved diesel technology.

Historically, diesel was cheaper than gas, but soaring oil costs have raised prices on both fuels to the point where they're essentially equal in many parts of the country. Diesel engines get marginally better mileage than do gas engines, but the higher cost of oil changes and other routine maintenance can cancel that savings out.

If you're buying class 3 trucks for very low mileage operation, a gasoline truck can save you money. In most cases, though, a diesel is a better long-term investment for your business.

Four-wheel drive trucks

Most box trucks are two-wheel drive (2WD), since they rarely go off-road and 2WD provides better gas mileage. If you plan on doing regular off-road driving, though, four-wheel drive (4WD) is invaluable for getting around on low-traction surfaces like mud or loose gravel. Don't buy 4WD lightly: in addition to the gas mileage hit, you'll also pay a premium up front – up to several thousand dollars.