Finding the Right Commercial Truck

We don’t have to tell you that one of the most important things for your business is getting the right equipment while making your budget stretch. The value of used commercial Chevy trucks largely rests in getting that perfect combination of a hard-working truck to help you get your job done at a price that keeps your costs low. Choosing the right one is vital, however, since you want to avoid either coming up short with a vehicle that can’t handle what you need or paying too much for a truck that far exceeds what you’re really looking for. That’s why we’re here to help you figure out just what you need and make sure you get it.

While we love working directly with all of our commercial customers, we also know that it’s helpful to give you the information you need without you having to take extra time out of your day. That’s why we’re going to look at some of the different commercial trucks available from Chevy to see how they compare. When you’re looking at used models, you’ll want to always check out the specific details of any model you’re interested in since they can vary depending on a number of factors. We’re going to look at specs on 2021 models just to keep things simple, but there are plenty of other great used model years out there.

What to Look for in a Commercial Truck

Shopping for a commercial truck can feel a lot harder than looking for a reliable pickup for your driveway, in large part because the stakes are a lot higher when you’re investing in your business. When expanding your existing fleet of vehicles, finding the right ones to add and boost your ability to get your job done is incredibly important. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on the specs and details that can really help your business.

Your specific needs will vary depending on the type of business you have and the sort of work you need to get done. That’s why nothing can really replace the personalized experience that comes with working alongside a knowledgeable salesperson who understands the needs of businesses and the various commercial models available from Chevrolet. Still, we can help get you pointed in the right direction and give you an idea of what models would be best for you.

The Silverado 1500

While the standard Chevy Silverado is not the best choice if you have serious towing or customization needs that you’re looking to fill, this can be a terrific option for filling out a fleet. If you need a great all-around truck that offers decent towing and payload, works well for getting to the jobsite, and handles a wide range of tasks, then the Silverado 1500 is a good one to start with. This is also just a great model to look at briefly to get a sense of the baseline for full-size trucks and what they can handle.

For the Silverado 1500 and the HD Series models below, let’s take a look at the towing, the fifth-wheel (5W) towing, the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) for them. On some models, we’ll focus only on GVWR since that’s the most important spec for customizing your truck to best meet your needs. The Silverado 1500 has:

• Max Payload: 2,280 lbs
• Max Towing: 13,300 lbs
• Max 5W: 13,300 lbs
• Max GCWR: 19,100 lbs

This is a great place to start, but you can see that the standard Silverado really doesn’t excel at fifth-wheel towing beyond what it can do with conventional towing. Now let’s look at some of the larger and more powerful options out there.

The Silverado 2500 HD

The first of two heavy-duty Silverado models, the 2500 HD is a terrific option if you need more muscle than the standard Silverado can manage, but you still want a pretty conventional pickup for your business. We have a lot of customers choose this (or the 3500 HD) for a truck to add to their fleet for general use when they need more capability than the standard model. The Silverado 2500 HD can handle:

• Max Towing: 18,500 lbs
• Max 5W: 18,500 lbs
• Max GVWR: 11,550 lbs
• Max GCWR: 27,500 lbs

You can see the towing capacity of the 2500 HD is significantly greater than the Silverado 1500, and it has impressive weight ratings. Once again, however, you don’t get a lot more capability with fifth-wheel or gooseneck towing, which is important to consider. If that’s something you’re looking for, then you’re going to be better off with…

The Silverado 3500 HD

This is your best option if you’re looking for a conventional truck that has a massive amount of muscle to handle serious jobs. Its towing and weight ratings can be pretty similar to the 2500 HD, but there’s one very important difference: the 3500 HD is available with a dual-rear-wheel configuration. This dually setup allows for a massive amount of weight to be supported by the rear of the truck, giving it fantastic fifth-wheel towing and a huge GCWR. With a single-rear-wheel configuration, the Silverado 3500 HD has:

• Max Towing: 20,000 lbs
• Max 5W: 21,500 lbs
• Max GVWR: 12,250 lbs
• Max GCWR: 29,700 lbs

While a dual rear-wheel setup gives you:

• Max Towing: 20,000 lbs
• Max 5W: 36,000 lbs
• Max GVWR: 14,000 lbs
• Max GCWR: 43,900 lbs

You can see that the 3500 HD offers slightly greater conventional towing than the 2500 HD, but it’s not a massive amount. The fifth-wheel towing potential of the 3500 HD with a dually setup, however, is far superior to what any other standard Silverado can come close to, offering nearly double the towing capacity of the Silverado 1500. If you’re looking for a standard truck that can pull a tremendous amount of weight behind it, then this is a great choice.

The Silverado Chassis Cabs

Of course, standard pickup designs aren’t always the best option, particularly for the specialized needs of a business. If you’re looking for a truck that you can load gravel, soil, or debris into and then dump it out at a job site or other location, then a regular truck is a very poor choice. That’s when a Silverado Chassis Cab model is ideal since it offers a flat platform behind the cab onto which you can install an upfit to customize the truck exactly how you need it.

There is a wide range of upfit options available, both from Chevrolet and from a number of other manufacturers, so you can find whatever you need. A Chassis Cab model is a great choice if you need to make deliveries and you want a large box for carrying cargo, even a refrigerated box for temperature-sensitive deliveries. You can also fit one of these trucks with a large dump bin, a rugged flatbed for transporting other vehicles, and pretty much anything else you need for your business. These models are also ideal for installing compartments onto in order to transport your tools, building materials, and any other equipment you need.

Four different Silverado Chassis Cab models are available, so you can pick the one with the right amount of capability for what you need. Since you’re going to install an upfit onto it and potentially load that up with more weight, the most important thing to consider is the overall vehicle weight rating for the truck you need. The GVWR for these models are:

• 3500 HD: 14,000 lbs
• 4500 HD: 16,500 lbs
• 5500 HD: 19,500 lbs
• 6500 HD: 23,500 lbs

You can see the amount of weight these trucks can handle increases significantly as you move up the different models. While the 3500 HD Chassis Cab has a gas and diesel engine available, the other three are powered by massive diesel engines that deliver all of the power you need. If you’ve found that standard trucks have left you wishing you had something you could customize to handle exactly what you’re looking for to help you get your job done, then a Chassis Cab might be just what you need.

Which Truck Is Right for You?

Finding the right truck for your business can be tricky. It’s easy enough to get another model like one you already have, but if you’re looking for something new or have a problem without a solution, then expanding your horizons can take some work. A used commercial vehicle is a great way to get just what your business needs while still keeping your costs down; plus, Chevy models are so well-built and reliable that a pre-owned model can treat you well for many years to come. The most important thing is figuring out how much weight you need to be able to handle: that could mean towing a trailer of lumber, making deliveries to a customer’s site, or installing a custom setup for your business. Once you know what your weight needs are, then you can find the right commercial truck to tackle it.