Here we’ll reveal where you need to be looking for box trucks, where to research prices and find deals on used and new box trucks, plus where to find them at auction. We’ll wrap up with some comparison charts to get a clear picture of the right model for your business.
How much does it cost to buy a box truck?
The cost of a new box truck, as you’d expect, depends on box length and the truck chassis you’ll need to match plus options, from smallest to largest the prices range from $40k to $100k. In the used market, It really depends on size, age, and mileage with some models being more popular than others.
For example, a new cab over with a 20ft box body will start around $60k while in the used market place, three-year-old models with around 150k miles will go for around $35k.
For a new 26ft box truck, you can expect to pay around $80-90K for an Isuzu FTR with a Morgan 26ft dry freighter body. In the used marketplace you would expect to pay around $40k for something no more than three-four years old with around 150k miles.
Places to find deals, research new and used prices
- Truck Paper – truckpaper.com – usually with 100-300 listings at any time coming from dealers and auction houses.
- Commercial Truck Trader – commercialtrucktrader.com – anywhere from 500-100 box trucks listed for sale at any time coming from dealers mostly but also private sellers.
- Ryder – ryder.com – ex-lease and rental trucks
- U-Haul – trucksales.uhaul.com – 10,14, and 17ft box trucks for sale
Where to find box trucks at auction?
If you are prepared to forgo warranty and all the niceties of buying from a dealer then buying from auction may be a great way to save quite a lot. Some trucks may even have factory warranty remaining especially at ex-lease sales.
- Try our auction item search engine for box trucks
Repo, dealer, gov, ex-lease, business closure
- Manheim – truck-auction.com – Their Indianapolis branch has a strong focus on class 4-8 trucks with regular sales, and trucks can also be found at their other branches
- ADESA – adesa.com – GA, FL, PA, AR – holding regular auctions for heavy equipment and trucks that are ex-lease or finance company. Some are consignments.
- GSA Auctions – gsaauctions.gov – occasionally you may find some medium and heavy-duty trucks at Federal Gov auctions and at state gov auctions, see the list of state auctioneers here
- Local auctioneers in your area – there are county auctions, local business retirements and closures, etc where you’ll see trucks of all types come up for auction from time to time. The beauty here is you’re away from the hoards of like-minded buyers at the bigger truck sales. Use our find page to locate your state or city to find local auctioneers and watch our truck, mining & machinery auctions category
Private seller auctions
- eBay – ebay.com – lots of “buy it now” listings from dealers, and there are usually 20-30 auctions taking place at any time.
Insurance claim and damaged auctions
Thousands of trucks of all types appear at salvage auctions for various reasons including insurance claims stemming from accident damage, flood damage, theft recovery, hail damage etc. For those that are competent with such repairs, it can be a great option with huge potential savings on offer. Check out
- Copart – copart.com
- IAA – iaai.com
- SCA – sca.auction
Choosing the right box truck
Box trucks, often called cube trucks, straight trucks, moving vans, and dry goods trucks, are cargo haulers. They come in varying body styles on a range of different chassis to suit different load weights, goods types, and distances. The box body, mounted to a cab chassis, is usually made from aluminum or fiberglass reinforced plywood.
Box truck sizes (length) range from 10ft, to 26ft with the most commonly seen sizes being 10,12,14,16, 20, 24, and 26ft.
Some box trucks have rear roller doors so as to back into a dock and load easily, some have powered rear lift gates so as to load and unload where there is no dock, and some have rear swinging doors. Some feature side doors, and some have cab access which is handy for last-mile and small parcel delivery.
It’s all about the right body type and right truck type for the job at hand whether that be, for example, running dock to the warehouse or warehouse to the consumer or just locally.
Important considerations
- Type & weight of the cargo – it’s a balance between space, weight, and chassis capacity
- Right body for the right chassis – confirm the chassis length can accommodate the body length desired or already fitted. Overhang past the rear axle can be a real issue.
- Engine capacity – too big an engine may be too heavy on fuel for the job, too small an engine is also likely to chew fuel along with a poor driving experience
- Height limitations – check your box height with your customers warehouse heights
- Dock heights – check your box floor height with your customer’s warehouse dock height
- Maneuverability – some warehouses are tight and this is where cab overs excel along with city work. Some will prefer conventional cabs especially for longer hauling and improved safety.
- Rear door type – if dock loading/unloading then most will prefer roll-up rear door over swinging doors
- Floor strength – will it be required to handle forklift loading and is it reinforced to handle such?
- Floor material – if handling liquids you may want to have an aluminum floor for washout
- Do you need a rear liftgate for loading/unloading?
- Do you need a side door?
Do you need a CDL to drive a box truck?
Not all box trucks require a commercial driver’s license (CDL). A commonly used rule of thumb is that under 26,001lbs GVWR does not require a CDL but there are conditions, you can find a detailed explanation of the federal laws on commercial driver’s licenses here and you’ll also need to check local laws in your home state.
What are the different types of box trucks?
Along with there being numerous sizes with common lengths being 14,16, 20, and 24ft, there are also numerous styles including dry freighter, reefers, and cutaway cubes being common. Commonly seen box body manufacturers include Supreme, Morgan, Knapheide, Rockport, and American Cargo.
Body type comparison chart
| Picture | Type |
 |
Dry Freighter – the most common with standard floor height and options such as roller doors, swinging doors, liftgate, and varying dimensions |
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Cutaway Cube – great for local delivery where you need access from the cab to the cargo area |
 |
Refrigerated – aka reefers |
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Furniture Mover – low floor height with side and rear access |
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Curtainsider – for sideloading access with a forklift when there’s no dock |
What are the best box trucks to buy?
In recent years when looking across the used marketplace, the most popular cab chassis manufacturers for box trucks include Freightliner, International, Hino, Isuzu, and Ford. Of course, there are many, you’ll also see Chevrolet, Ram, Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Mitsubishi models, but, to a much lesser extent.
Here’s a comparison chart for a selection of current model box trucks on the US market.
Box Truck Chassis Comparison Chart
*indicative figures – see manufacturer website for exact details and model variants
| Picture* | Model | Class (GVWR)* | Payload* | Engine* |
 |
Transit 350HD Cutaway/Cab Chassis | 11,000.00 | 6,070-6,400 | 3.5L PFDI V6 (275HP), 3.5L EcoBoost V6 (310HP) |
 |
Ford E-350 Cutaway SRW | 10,050.00 | 5,030-5,100 |
7.3L V8 Premium Engine (350HP) or 7.3L V8 Economy (300HP)
|
 |
Ford E-350 Cutaway DRW | 11,500-12,500 | 6,210-7,200 |
7.3L V8 Premium Engine (350HP) or 7.3L V8 Economy (300HP)
|
 |
Ford E-450 Cutaway DRW | 14,000-14,500 | 8,480-8,980 |
7.3L V8 Premium Engine (350HP) or 7.3L V8 Economy (300HP)
|
 |
F-450 DRW | 14,000.00 | 5,320,6,210 |
7.3L V8 Gas (430HP), 6.2L V8 Gas (385HP), 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel (475HP)
|
 |
F-550 | 17,500-19,500 | 9,940-12,410 |
7.3L V8 Gas (430HP), 6.2L V8 Gas (385HP), 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel (475HP)
|
 |
F-600 Cab Chassis | 22,000.00 | 14,470-15,090 | 7.3L gas engine |
 |
F650-750 |
22,000 to 37,000 lbs.
|
7.3L V8 Gas (430HP), 6.2L V8 Gas (385HP), 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel (475HP)
|
|
 |
Ram Promaster 3500 Cutaway | 9,350.00 | 5,100-5230 | 3.6L V6 Gas (280HP) |
 |
Chevy Express Cutaway 3500 | 12,300.00 | 7,180 | 4.3L V6 (276HP), 6.6L V8 (401HP) |
|
Chevy Express Cutaway 4500 | 14,200.00 | 8,920 | 4.3L V6 (276HP), 6.6L V8 (401HP) |
 |
Chevy LCF 3500 | 12,000.00 | 6,246–6,978 | 6.0L V8 Gas (297HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 4500 | 14,500.00 | 8,442–9,174 | 6.0L V8 Gas (297HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 4500HD | 14,500.00 | 7,766–8,536 | 5.2L I-4 Diesel (215HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 4500XD | 16,000.00 | 8,840–9,607 | 5.2L I-4 Diesel (215HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 5500HD | 17,950.00 | 10,680–11,461 | 5.2L I-4 Diesel (215HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 5500XD | 19,500.00 | 12,181–12,875 | 5.2L I-4 Diesel (215HP) |
|
Chevy LCF 6500HD | 25,950.00 | 14,641–15,690 | 5.2L I-4 Diesel (215HP) |
 |
International Durastar | 23,500 – 44,600 | varies |
Cummins B6.7 (200-360HP), Cummins L9 (260-380HP)
|
 |
International MV Series | 23,500 – 44,600 | varies |
Cummins B6.7 (200-360HP), Cummins L9 (260-380HP)
|
 |
Freightliner M2 106 | 66,000.00 | varies |
Detroit DD5, Detroit DD8, Cummins B6.7, Cummins L9
|
 |
Freightliner Sprinter Cab Chassis 3500XD | 11,030.00 | 6,356 | 3L Diesel (188HP) |
|
Freightliner Sprinter Cab Chassis 4500 | 12,125.00 | 7430 | 3L Diesel (188HP) |
 |
Freightliner MT Chassis (for step van etc) | Varies | 10,000-19,000 |
Cummins 6.7L Diesel (200-300HP), GM V8 Gas (308HP)
|
 |
Hino 155 Cab Over | 14,500.00 | Varies | Hino 5L Diesel (210HP) |
|
Hino 195 Cab Over | 19,500.00 | Varies | Hino 5L Diesel (210HP) |
 |
Hino 195h Cab Over | 19,500.00 | Varies | Hino 5L Diesel (210HP) Hybrid Electric |
 |
Conventional 238 | 23,000.00 | Varies | Hino 8L Diesel (230HP) |
 |
Conventional 258 | 25,500.00 | Varies | Hino 8L Diesel (230-260HP) |
|
Conventional 268 | 25,950.00 | Varies | Hino 8L Diesel (230-260HP) |
|
Conventional 338 | 33,000.00 | Varies | Hino 8L Diesel (260HP) |
 |
Hino XL Series | 33,000-66,000 | Varies | Hino 9L Diesel (300-360HP) |
