Black Dirt Overland rig in the Black Dirt Region at sunset
Our Story

Rooted in Black Dirt.
Built for the Road Less Traveled.

Black Dirt Overland takes its name from New York's Black Dirt Region — a place shaped by hard work, ingenuity, and generations of people who learned how to make something extraordinary from difficult ground. Those same values guide every rig we build: proven foundations, thoughtful engineering, and the freedom to go farther.

A CJ-7 on the beach at Montauk at sunset
Where It Started

A CJ-7, Montauk, and just enough gas money

My love for camping and the outdoors was rooted long before Black Dirt Overland. Back in high school, all it took was a CJ-7 and just enough gas money to get out to Montauk and back. We'd sleep on the dunes, sometimes digging a hole under the Jeep and piling sand around the edges to keep the bugs away. That spirit still drives what we build today: freedom, simplicity, and figuring it out as you go. Black Dirt Overland was built for the road less traveled — even back then. My love for the CJ-7 hasn't waned either.

How We Work

Boutique by design

5–10 builds a year

Deliberately limited production — every build gets the attention a six-figure vehicle deserves.

Standardized & proven

One thoroughly tested design, scaled across platforms — better quality, shorter timelines, easier service.

Premium without pretension

Commercial-grade reliability and premium components — value without the ultra-luxury markup.

From the Shop

The people behind the builds

No marketing department, no factory floor. Every rig is sourced, stripped, engineered and finished by a small crew in Warwick, New York — and documented along the way.

JT at the shop, chassis in the background
JT — founder, and the person who answers the phone
The Black Dirt Overland crew at the fleet yard
Sourcing day at the fleet yard
JT on site inspecting a truck
Inspecting a candidate chassis
Working on the frame in the shop bay
Frame work, shop bay
Wiring run on a refinished frame
Wiring, routed to be serviced
Camp set up on the beach
Where it all points — camp at the end of the road

We post build progress, teardowns and events as they happen.

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FAQ

Common questions, answered straight

Why do you build on used commercial chassis?

Fleet-maintained medium-duty trucks are engineered for hundreds of thousands of working miles, carry documented service histories, and can be serviced at any commercial truck shop. The savings go into the systems you live with — not a new-truck premium.

What warranty comes with a build?

Every truck we sell is offered with engine and drivetrain warranty coverage through National Truck Protection — even though the chassis is used. Components carry manufacturer warranties through our authorized dealer partnerships.

Can I buy from out of state?

Yes — much of the overland market buys remotely. We document every build thoroughly, and you're welcome to visit the shop in Warwick, NY or meet us at East Coast shows and events.

How much can I customize?

Our layouts are standardized on purpose — it's how we deliver better quality at a better price. Within the platform, we configure systems (power, suspension, storage) to how you travel.

Talk to the builder

Questions we didn't answer? Ask directly — you'll be talking to the person who builds the rigs.

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