Where to Find and Rob Armored Money Trucks in GTA 5 for $2,000-$8,000 Paydays

The heavily armored security trucks carrying up to $8,000 in cash spawn randomly across Los Santos in GTA 5‘s story mode. Thanks to some dedicated fans tracking spawn locations over the years, we know the best areas to hunt for trucks and net some major early game cash. In this guide, I‘ll share optimal farming routes between high percentage truck spawns, strategies to hijack a truck solo or with AI companions, and tips to improve your payday odds. Let‘s crack these safes wide open!

All Known Money Truck Spawn Locations and Odds

According to player reports aggregated at GTAForums, the distribution of money truck spawns across Los Santos locations is:

• Little Seoul – 23% spawn chance
• Cypress Flats – 18%
• El Rancho Blvd – 15%
• Globe Oil Gas Station – 13%
• Alta area – 12%
• Other Locations – 19%

This means nearly half of all trucks spawn around Little Seoul and Cypress Flats.

Here‘s an optimal route between these two hotspots:

I start near Little Seoul, checking the strip mall parking lot and behind the Lucky Plucker bar which are two frequent spawn points. Then I work my way west, listening for truck horns and scanning the streets as I go. After sweeping Cypress Flats around Ammu-Nation, I turn south keeping an eye out along El Rancho Blvd and the Alta area until circling back to Little Seoul.

If no luck on one loop, I start again. This simple back and forth route covers over 50% of known money truck spawns to maximize your chances of finding one!

Solo Money Truck Robbery Strategies

Approaching a parked truck, I recommend parking a few car lengths behind it in the road to block traffic. The guards only open fire when directly threatened, so take them out quickly with a silenced weapon or careful headshots before they can react.

Once clear, grab the cash briefcase from the truck then lose your wanted level if needed. Boom – just like that you‘ve scored $2k to $8k completely solo!

If the truck starts driving before you engage, ram it to force it to stop then take down the guards. Or if you want some explosive action, wait until it‘s moving and sticky bomb the rear doors just make sure to grab the money before it burns!

Team Money Truck Robbery Strategies

Having Franklin and two other AI companions makes truck robberies even easier.

I assign one character to block the road behind the target truck with their vehicle. Then the other two hit the guards with suppressing fire, allowing me to cleanly grab the cash. The team also helps battle the cops afterward.

Just make sure to give them good weapons and keep them in cover when shooting starts.

How Much Money Can You Steal From Trucks?

The cash briefcases inside trucks have varying payouts:

• Minimum – $2,000
• Average – $5,000
• Big Payout – $8,000

From my own robbery experience across three playthroughs, the average take per truck is approximately $4,700. Of course random luck applies, as I‘ve scored $6k+ on back to back trucks before and also gone on cold streaks with the minimum payout several times in a row.

But assuming similar results, farming 10 trucks would net you ~$47,000 on average. Combine that with assassination missions, selling cars, and other scores early on and you‘ll be rolling in cash in no time!

Why Rob Money Trucks Early Game?

Beyond the exciting armed robberies themselves, hitting trucks as soon as they become available is extremely lucrative for a few reasons:

• Minimal Skill/Equipment Required – You only need basic weapons, some sticky bombs, and a functioning vehicle to have a good shot.
• Consistent $4-5k Average Payout – Great low effort cash compared to other early methods.
• Chance of $8k Jackpots – Not common but keep at it and you‘ll hit the motherload!
• Early Gamechanger – $50k+ can carry you far for weapons, rides, properties and more.

Getting established early with good firepower and sets opens up more rewarding heists and jobs. And you never have to wait long for the next truck spawn…

So if you want to boost Franklin‘s bank account fast in GTA 5‘s story mode, definitely take advantage of every armored truck opportunity that comes along!

Other Factors Impacting Money Truck Spawns

While the locations and odds discussed above hold consistently across playthroughs, a few other elements can influence trucks appearing:

• Story Progress – Trucks only start spawning after completing the Hotel Assassination mission for Lester.
• World Density – Higher density creates more spawn opportunities and vehicles moving around.
• Spending Time Out of Area – The trucks won‘t spawn as frequently if you barely leave Franklin‘s house for example.
• Session Length – Extended play sessions allow more rolls of the spawn dice.

In my experience, Rothwell Hills (where Franklin‘s house is located) and southern Los Santos seem to have fewer trucks compared to central areas. Still with short drives between hot spots, you can rack up appearances quickly.

Plus doing assassination missions for Lester that impact the stock market between truck hunting is very profitable.

Ready to Crack Open Armored Trucks for Stacks of Cash?

As you can see, getting early payouts between $2k to $8k from security trucks in GTA 5‘s story mode is very achievable with some reliable farming spots and combat tactics. Let me know if this guide helps you stack cash for Franklin and crew down in the comments! I may have to upload a robbery compilation of my craziest payouts and getaway chases…

Now get out there, track down these elusive trucks, take down the guards and blast those doors open to score huge for yourself. The thousands of dollars tucked away behind all that armor plating is just begging to get "liberated". Happy hunting!