Purchasing a box truck

I would recommend a cabover. they're easier to maintain and much better to drive than a cut-van which is what your options are at 16'. If you drive less than 30,000 a year, get a gas truck, if you drive more than 30,000 a year get a diesel truck. I would recommend Isuzu over the other options, but proximity to the dealership (even if you use an independent mechanic they'll still need parts from the dealership). In the end isuzu/hino/fuso isn't a big deal. Only isuzu offers a gas truck (an only in the 2 smallest weight class of trucks). If you go fuso research tranny options as they have a problematic tranny that they offer. The hinos are pricey.

The lower the GVW the lower your insurance cost will be

penske/ryder/other lease company VS ownership from new VS used truck is it's own ball of wax and there's already a lot of forums around.

You don't have to have a lift gate if your heaviest thing is 250lbs. Lift gates add a fair amount of weight to the truck lowering fuel economy, weight capacity and increasing maintenance. You could probably get by with a ramp, or just a decent step bumper. I'd recommend a ramp and a step bumper. If you need to take pallets on & off without a dock you may need a lift gate. As for specs, the size truck you're talking about will significantly reduce your options so you won't have a lot of choices.

I'd recommend starting with rental trucks for a little while, get a sense of what your drivers like, what equipment is best for you, etc and then going shopping. penske/budget/ryder all have both cut-vans and cabovers with and without liftgates. Cutvans will be cheaper in the short term, more expensive in the long run. Let me know if you have other questions.

 

Don't go with a CDL driver and they will try and go through McD's drive through. Ask for a service record. Look to see how much paint they used to repaint to get it ready for resale. Paint hides old parts. And they will stuff it full of grease (front end)to take up any slop.

 

Pay attention to the trucks currently hauling your freight

 

A standard pallet is 3.5 ft x 4 ft. So 8 pallets should fit in a 16 ft x 102 in box. Could even get more if the pallets can be double stacked.

 

Contact Penske, get a quote from them. They can get you in the right equipment and maintain it for you. Take care of the needed road service which includes a replacement truck if needed. I've actually had them tow a loaded truck to finish deliveries due to a mistake in their end. The cost of their services is more than others but if give thought to it all. It makes a bit of sense.

 

I've gone through eight box trucks in the past 20 years for my business. I have always purchased high cube 26 foot boxes with a liftgate. We do not use pallets when we deliver our furniture, it is all blanket wrap
The trucks I've purchased for Intown deliveries have always been international with the DT 466 engine or a freightliner with a 3126 Catapillar engine. These have been the most reliable and easy to repair . When I started 20 years ago, the trucks had manual transmissions. Now all of our trucks have Allison automatic's .

You can look to Penske and Rider for used trucks that they sell, I have purchased from them before