Here is something to consider, a gas truck in three quarter ton guise actually has quite a bit more payload than a three-quarter ton truck that is a diesel. for your case I think a gas truck would probably be the better purchase since you will not be doing all that often and traveling a pretty short distance. Also unlike the West, in the East you probably have far more gas stops along your highways, versus having some stretches of more than 100 miles with no fuel stop. In that area you also do not have the high-altitude challenges in which a turbo diesel becomes a really large benefit.