Compare the effective monthly cost of financing a truck against leasing one, including resale value.
How the comparison works
The calculator amortizes your truck loan to get the monthly payment, totals everything you pay to own (down payment plus all payments), then credits back the expected resale value at the end of the term. That net cost divided by the months gives the true effective monthly cost of buying, which is compared against the lease down payment plus lease payments spread over the lease term.
What the raw numbers miss
Equipment is one of the largest cost lines in trucking: ATRI's 2026 analysis put truck procurement at 28 cents per mile and trailers at 12 cents on average. Buying builds equity and gives you the tax benefits of depreciation, but puts maintenance risk and resale risk on you, and used truck values swing hard with the freight cycle. Full-service leases cost more per month but often bundle maintenance and remove resale risk, which can suit operators who want predictable costs. Lease-purchase programs offered through carriers are a different product again and deserve careful reading before signing.
Testing your assumptions
The resale value input matters more than most people expect: move it up or down by $20,000 and watch the effective monthly cost shift. Run the calculator with a pessimistic resale figure before deciding, and compare the result against current lease offers for the same spec of truck.
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