Truck leasing can give you advantages over purchasing a vehicle or a fleet. It offers you no sales tax, you can gain increased vehicle incentives, it lets you preserve your working capital, your payments are tax deductible, you have the option to purchase the vehicle afterwards if you so choose and you can set the terms as you need them.

Commercial truck leasing lets you get your drivers on the road, while putting the maintenance responsibilities in the hands of the owner, who also often offer safety programs, emergency roadside service and vehicle washing as part of their packages. Commercial truck leases that offer amenities such as these offer greater value and are well worth the cost.

When looking at truck leasing programs, look to compare such items as:

1. Truck leasing prices- see what the bottom line pricing is, but also taking into account what is included. Is maintenance included? Roadside assistance? Safety programs?

2. Financing options and payment plans. Look at payment terms and find out if you have the option to buy at the end.

3. Truck leasing basics- weigh your buy versus lease options carefully before committing either way.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

See how truck leasing can help you

Take advantage of truck leasing sites to see how they can assist you in your lease versus buy decision. Some sites offer you conversion calculators while others detail out more about their particular business.

I recommend: Let Merchants Leasing help you run a lease versus purchase comparison. Check out the Idealease National Accounts Group program. Their trucking program stretches from Canada to Mexico and allows for its customers to extend their client base outside of the U.S.

Look at truck leasing programs with maintenance programs

Consider truck leases with maintenance programs built into their pricing. Leasing a truck is just one step to hauling your load because you also have to take into account precautions to keep you up in running in case of emergency.

I recommend: See how BizFleet Services can run your maintenance program. BizFleet offers cars, vans, pickups, medium duty trucks, heavy duty trucks, limos, buses as well as options for DHL and Fed-Ex contractors. Learn about the maintenance program offered by FirstLease out of Georgia. They offer nationwide coverage, and they are dedicated to helping you keep your vehicle up on its preventative maintenance.

Find out your financing options for truck leasing

Truck leasing financing doesn't always have to come directly from the group doing the leasing from. There are other organizations who can help you with your financing.

I recommend: Find out about your financing options through Prudential Leasing. They can help you with class 8 truck financing, dump truck financing, specialty truck financing and more. Find out more about truck leasing from CT Financing, another lending institution. They can help you with steps on how to apply, looking at payment calculators, credit criteria and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure that your truck leases include unlimited mileage. Like any lease, you don't want to exceed your mileage and have to pay per mile for additional usage. It makes the vehicle worthless to you. Truck leasing companies should be up front with this information, but don't be afraid to ask about it.

No matter what business you're in, getting the product to the customer in a timely fashion is a critical task. Small business owners often don’t have the resources to do the job themselves, which makes truck leasing an attractive transportation option.

With truck leasing, you avoid the high costs of buying and maintaining an expensive vehicle. You also don’t have to worry about hiring a qualified person to drive in an era when there is a shortage of trained truck drivers and technicians. Having a truck driver and technician on your payroll makes you responsible for ensuring their training is up-to-date, which would be an additional hit to your bottom line.

There are many truck leasing programs and truck leasing companies willing take on the transportation burden for you. The challenge is finding the one that works best for you. Truck leasing prices vary based on a many factors, including fuel cost, mileage, frequency of use and vehicle type.

Here are some things to consider when identifying truck leasing programs that best meet your needs:

1. Know precisely what you require from truck leasing.

2. Examine truck leasing prices carefully.

3. Determine the kind of lease you want.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know what you want from a truck leasing company

Leasing a truck to handle your business is more complicated than renting one to move. Your business may require daily trips or just weekly or monthly trips. The size of the load may vary. The destination might be close by or across the country. Truck leasing prices will be affected by all these factors.

I recommend: PacLease offers a wealth of information to consider when deciding if truck leasing is the best choice for your business. It also gives examples of leasing options.

Getting the best commercial truck leasing deal

Truck leases are not created in a single template, so you must do some homework to protect yourself. Fortunately, there are ways to determine if a price quote is fair.

I recommend: FreightCenter offers a free service that allows you to get multiple quotes online or over the phone. FreightCenter is affiliated with more than 80 trucking companies throughout the United States. Koch Logistics is a member of NationaLease, an association of independent truck leasing companies. Free quotes are available for customized commercial truck leases.

Understand your leasing options

There is a big difference between a full-service lease agreement and truck rental leasing. The former is usually a long-term agreement in which you pay for the contractor to maintain the truck and, if necessary, replace it. Truck rental is a short-term lease where you basically pay for the use of the vehicle. Only you can determine which is best.

I recommend: IdeaLease gives a thorough explanation of full-service leases and truck renting leases. If you're interested in buying the truck at the end of a full-service lease, you’ll want to be familiar with the Terminal Rental Adjustment Clause (TRAC) lease.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some truck leasing companies will let you use their vehicles to promote your business. Ask if using your own signage is an option.

Truck leasing programs can help keep your business cash flow more manageable than committing to the purchase of a new rig or company vehicle. Whether commercial truck leasing, semi truck leasing, dump truck leasing, moving truck leasing or class 8 truck leasing, finding the right company that is going to offer you a fair, competitive price is the key.

Commercial truck leasing can give you many benefits. Some of these benefits can include but are not limited to preventive maintenance, safety programs, emergency roadside service, vehicle washing, permitting and licensing as well as substitute vehicles.

To find out more about using truck leasing and truck leasing companies:

1. Determine if you are looking at a short term or long term need. Are you looking to move something one time from point A to point B, or is moving things part of your businesses full time business?

2. Determine if you are looking at leasing a truck or a whole fleet.

3. Determine if you are looking at commercial truck leasing that includes full service.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use truck leasing programs to move

Truck leasing is great to move your business from one location to another. Be it moving in from the first time or moving across town, renting a truck to help you with the move may be more cost effective and mean less wear and tear than multiple trips in your own vehicle or vehicles.

I recommend: Take advantage of the business rental services of Penske Truck Rental. They have over 50,000 vehicles including vans, light, medium and heavy duty straight trucks, tractors, trailers as well as specialized equipment that you can use for your business. You can also consider U-Haul as another brand name in the moving truck industry to consider for your business's needs.

Take advantage of commercial truck leasing to rent a whole fleet

Some businesses require the use of an entire commercial truck leasing fleet to conduct business for their company. Businesses like this would include delivery companies like dry cleaners or lawn companies, etc.

I recommend: You can lease one truck or a whole fleet from Ryder. Find out about their Ryder FleetCARE and Three Year Flex Lease programs. Think about leasing your fleet from PacLease to help you increase your delivery reliability as well as help you free up your working capital.

Look at truck leasing prices that include full service

Take advantage of truck leases that can offer you full service options.

I recommend: Use Bush Transportation Systems to determine what transportation options are right for your business. NationaLease also has a wide range of options available from full service and more for your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look at truck leases that offer you the lowest rate buy out option at the end.

If you're in a business that operates a fleet of trucks, chances are you'll be looking into truck leasing. Before you contact a leasing company, you'll benefit from learning truck leasing key terms. From full service truck leasing to a tax exempt municipal lease, you'll be able to find exactly the kind of lease that best fits your business needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Full service lease

A full service lease is a great option for commercial truck leasing. A full service lease not only provides the trucks, but preventive maintenance, repairs, replacement trucks if necessary, display of company logos, and more.

I recommend: Idealease gives a full explanation of the features of a full service lease.

Skip lease

If you're leasing trucks for a seasonal or recreational business, you might want to explore a skip lease. A skip lease is an option that allows you to arrange time periods when payments will not be made.

I recommend: Find a brief description of a skip lease at eLease.

Fleet leasing

Fleet leasing pertains to a leasing option that specifically addresses business leasing. If you need to lease a fleet of trucks for your business, fleet leasing will help you address your needs as well as save you money.

I recommend: Entrepreneur provides a thorough explanation of fleet leasing, including its benefits and pitfalls.

Open-end and closed-end leases

The two most common types of commercial truck leasing programs are open-end or closed-end truck leases. Open-ended leases provide full use of leased trucks, with a pay-out at the end of the lease. Closed-end leases offer a buy-out option.

I recommend: Triple-AAA Financial Service and Investment Agencies gives an explanation of both open-end and closed-end truck leases.

Operating lease

Many companies offer businesses an operating lease. An operating lease allows a business to write off lease payments as an operating expense, resulting in a tax break.

I recommend: CT Financing gives a detailed definition of operating lease.

Municipal lease

Many leasing companies offer a municipal lease, also known as a tax exempt lease, for cities, counties, state agencies and school districts. Low interest rates and special payment terms are just some of the benefits of a municipal lease program.

I recommend: First Municipal Leasing Corporation describes a municipal lease.