Flatbeds get bought by trades and haulers who need to load from the side or the top instead of the back. Landscapers, steel and lumber haulers, equipment movers and construction outfits all end up in this category. Prices run from modest straight-truck flatbeds up to full Class 8 flatbed tractors, which is why the cash needed at closing spreads so widely here.
Reviewed by Hard Money Truck Loans Team | Updated October 11, 2026
Every application is reviewed on its own facts. Credit is reviewed, but it is not the deciding factor. Low scores, collections, charge-offs and late payments are workable. No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years.
The lender reviews the specific truck as part of the transaction, including year, make and model, mileage, truck type and specifications, and on a flatbed the bed or body configuration is part of those specifications.
A flatbed straight truck can land near the bottom of the $21,000 to $145,000 range, which makes it one of the more affordable ways to start. An established business is 30% down and a startup is 40% down with 2 years of industry experience.
The truck must be purchased from a licensed dealer and there is no minimum credit score. The trades and hauling examples on this page are educational context only, so you can independently confirm the truck fits the work you plan to perform.
Flatbed operators haul the loads other trucks cannot: equipment, lumber, steel and machinery. When the work slows down, the bills do not. A lot of the flatbed buyers we talk to lost their credit to a job loss or a slow stretch and have been waiting on a bank that will never say yes.
Our lowest recent score was a 491 on a flatbed with 5 collections. There is no minimum credit score. Bankruptcy or repossession within 5 years is the disqualifier.
We specialize in credit challenged commercial truck and trailer buyers, including many borrowers with scores around 500. Credit is reviewed, but it is not the deciding factor. Low scores, collections, charge-offs and late payments are workable.
Example based on 20 working days at $800 per day hauling equipment and materials. Expenses include fuel, insurance, straps and securement, maintenance and tires. The truck payment is not included because your payment depends on the price, term and rate quoted to you.
Money left on the table before any truck payment, while you keep applying and hearing no.
We will be straight with you. Because we lend to credit challenged buyers, you put more money down than a bank would ask for and you pay a higher rate than a bank would charge. That is the honest cost of getting approved when the bank already said no.
The difference is that a bank decline earns you nothing. A flatbed truck that is working earns money every month. Used wisely, that income covers the payment, pays down the collections on your credit and builds the track record that gets you better terms on your next truck.
Keep the flatbed truck earning. Revenue is what makes everything else possible.
Make every truck payment on time. That history is proof you perform.
Use part of your profit each month to pay or settle collections, oldest and smallest first.
With collections handled and a clean payment record, you are in a better spot for your next truck.
An operator with years of flatbed experience lost his job and fell behind on several accounts. With a score under 500 he finds a medium duty flatbed at a licensed dealer for $47,000.
At 30% down he brings $14,100 and finances $32,900. He hauls equipment for rental yards and contractors, and every on time truck payment adds positive history next to the old collections.
This shows how the numbers can work. It is not a specific customer.
These are real loans funded for our customers, credit problems and all.
$47,000 purchase price, $14,100 down (30%)
5 collections totaling $21,450. Lost his job and exhausted his savings during several months of unemployment, causing multiple accounts to go into collections.
All applications are subject to review and approval.
See All Recent LoansThere is no minimum credit score. Our recent 2015 Freightliner M2 flatbed loan was funded for a buyer with a 491 score and 5 collections totaling $21,450. Every file is reviewed on its own facts and approval is not guaranteed.
Ask us about the specific unit. The truck or trailer is reviewed as part of the transaction and must come from a licensed dealer.
Banks lend to borrowers with clean credit and decline everyone else. We lend to credit challenged buyers, so the risk is higher and the terms reflect it: 30% down for an established business, 40% down plus 2 years of industry experience for a startup, and a rate higher than a bank would charge. The tradeoff is that you get the flatbed truck working and earning instead of waiting on a yes that may never come.
No bankruptcy or repossession within the last 5 years. The flatbed truck must also be purchased from a licensed dealer and the purchase price must fall between $21,000 and $145,000.
It can, if you use it that way. The income from the flatbed truck can be used to pay or settle collections and keep your personal accounts current, and a clean payment history on your truck loan shows the next lender you perform. Results depend on your own habits and are not guaranteed.
Same day approvals may be available. Funding can occur in as little as 3 days. Timing depends on how quickly the dealer and you provide what is needed.
Reviewed by the Hard Money Truck Loans Team. Last updated October 11, 2026.
Program terms on this page come from our current lending program. Recent loan examples are real funded deals. Read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Send us the truck you found at the dealer and we will tell you where you stand. No obligation.
Banks won’t touch you, but guess who will!?
