Traditional commercial truck financing means taking a lease

Leasing is the same as buying a new personal car on your credit and a down payment, except that semi truck financing via leasing is usually tax-deductible. Leasing is likely the easiest "get-in" form of commercial truck loan.

I recommend: Talk with your accountant first, then with commercial truck financing companies like Penske and Ryder and truck manufacturers, including Mack and PacLease (Peterbilt and Kenworth) about specialty truck financing. See too semi truck loans at Business.com for more money sources for your commercial truck loans.

Semi truck financing specialists can work out terms for startups

Heavy equipment like trucks have long life-spans and keep their resale value for many years. Lots of smaller banks and lenders focus on trucking business loans since they know that repossessing the truck is recovery of most of the value of the semi truck loan.

I recommend: See commercial truck financing and semi truck loans from groups like TA Capital,  CAG Truck Capital, and CT Financing. There's more on semi truck loans at commercial truck financing at Business.com.

Alternatives to commercial truck loans

Often, buying the truck is a piece of cake, but making the equal payments over time on specialty truck financing is hard, especially for seasonal trucking operations.

I recommend: Unless you can be your own bank or secure working capital for a semi truck loan, consider factoring -- essentially, selling your accounts receivable for cash now. Finance companies doing this kind of commercial truck financing include 1st Commercial Credit, GE Capital, and FactorLoads. See more trucking business loan options on the Business.com directory page on semi truck financing via factoring.

Money tight? Try a used truck instead of a semi truck loan

The relative endurance of a commercial trucks means they're good for decades longer than the original owner probably wants to keep them. Just buying cheap rather than taking out an onerous commercial truck loan can save big money when it comes to semi truck financing.

I recommend: It's hard to spot a lemon, but if you know trucks, used can be a bargain when it comes to commercial truck financing. See used commercial trucks for sale at Truck Paper and Buy a Truck.