Bad Credit Day Cab Financing
Reviewed by George Burgess · Updated August 18, 2026
A credit challenged buyer can be considered for day cab financing through Hard Money Truck Loans when the transaction fits the program. There is no minimum credit score. The day cab must be purchased from a licensed dealer, the purchase price must be $21,000 to $145,000, an established business is typically 30% down, and a startup is typically 40% down with 2 years of industry experience.
Quick Financing Snapshot
- Minimum credit score
- None
- Credit specialty
- Credit challenged buyers welcome, with no minimum credit score
- Purchase price financed
- $21,000 to $145,000
- Down payment
- Typically 30% of the purchase price
- Startup down payment
- Typically 40% of the purchase price
- Seller
- Licensed dealer purchases only
- Credit history
- No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years.
- Approvals
- Same day approvals may be available
Want to know whether your own situation is financeable? Get pre-approved or call (407) 250-8536.
Who Uses Day Cabs?
Day cabs are commonly used by businesses that do not need a sleeper compartment because the truck returns to a terminal, yard or local operating area.
Common business uses include local freight, regional freight, drayage, port work, distribution and short-haul transportation.
Those uses describe how businesses may operate day cabs. They are not HMTL underwriting requirements.
Day Cab Financing for Local and Regional Freight
A local or regional carrier may use a day cab to move freight between terminals, warehouses, distribution centers or customers.
The financing question is still tied to the specific truck purchase.
You should have the year, make, model, VIN, mileage, dealer and written purchase price ready once you choose the truck.
HMTL finances licensed dealer purchases only. Private party purchases are not financed.
Day Cab Financing for Drayage and Port Work
Day cabs are commonly used in drayage because drivers may move containers between ports, rail yards, warehouses and nearby distribution facilities.
HMTL does not publish a special drayage underwriting program, port requirement, MC number requirement or route requirement on this site.
If your business is involved in drayage, describe the actual operation accurately without assuming a special financing rule.
Financing a Day Cab With Bad Credit
There is no minimum credit score.
HMTL specializes in credit challenged commercial truck and trailer buyers, including many borrowers with scores around 500.
That does not mean every low-score transaction is approved.
The hard credit-history restriction is no bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years.
The day cab, seller, purchase price, down payment and business profile still matter.
Existing Business vs Startup Day Cab Financing
An established business is typically 30% down.
A startup is typically 40% down and requires 2 years of industry experience.
The startup experience requirement is firm.
This site does not define every job title or trucking role that automatically satisfies the experience requirement. Describe the actual background to HMTL.
Business Bank Statements
Approximately 4 months of business bank statements is a typical program characteristic.
This site does not publish a universal minimum freight revenue, monthly deposit level, average balance or number of loads.
The statements provide current business context. They do not create a guaranteed approval formula.
Choose the Day Cab for the Work You Actually Perform
A truck that is right for local distribution may not be right for every regional or port operation.
Consider the actual work, trailer configuration, routes and operating needs before purchasing.
Those are business and equipment decisions. HMTL does not guarantee that a day cab will generate a particular amount of revenue.
What May Help You Qualify
- No minimum credit score
- Typically 30% of the purchase price down for an established business
- Typically 40% of the purchase price down for a startup, plus 2 years of industry experience
- Licensed dealer purchases only
- Purchase prices from $21,000 to $145,000
- No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years
- Approximately 4 months of business bank statements
Potential Problems & Reasons For Decline
- A truck being bought from a private seller rather than a licensed dealer
- A purchase price outside the $21,000 to $145,000 range
- A down payment that does not reach the typical percentage for the truck selected
- A bankruptcy or repossession inside the last 5 years
- A startup without 2 years of industry experience
- Business bank statements that are incomplete or unavailable
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I finance a day cab with bad credit?
Can I use a financed day cab for drayage?
Can a startup finance a day cab?
Can I buy a day cab from another trucker?
Does HMTL require a certain number of freight contracts?
Does HMTL have a day cab mileage cap?
What purchase-price range applies to day cabs?
Can a dealer lender decline still be reviewed?
Related Resources
- Financing by Truck TypeSemi Truck Financing With Bad CreditFinance a semi truck for OTR, regional or local freight when credit is damaged and the transaction fits the HMTL program.
- Financing by Truck TypeBad Credit Sleeper Truck FinancingFinance a sleeper truck for OTR or long-haul freight when credit is damaged and the transaction fits the HMTL program.
- Financing by Truck TypeOTR Truck Financing With Bad CreditBad credit does not automatically eliminate an OTR truck purchase. The truck and transaction still have to fit the program.
- Bad Credit FinancingCommercial Truck Financing Around a 500 Credit ScoreA score around 500 is not an automatic HMTL decline, but it is not an automatic approval either.
- Truck, Dealer & CollateralHow Truck Mileage Affects Commercial Truck FinancingHigh mileage is one fact about a truck, not a published automatic cutoff here. The specific unit still has to be reviewed.
Ready To Get Your Truck Funded?
Tell us about the truck, your business and your situation. We will review whether the transaction fits the HMTL program.