Brand new to the game-- Box Truck or Van to start?

Filing my LLC and kicking things off, totally new to the industry. I have a friend who does this in another state and he inspired me to give this a try.

I'll be operating out of Texas and will at first plan to rent a cargo van for 2 weeks at a time, mainly focusing on gig apps, to get my feet wet and learn the industry while hopefully making contacts along the way that will pay off down the line.

Thinking ahead, I am wondering if it's better to plan on buying a sprinter van or a box truck. I assume the box truck only makes sense if I have some promising leads and brokers to work with? I'd hate to invest in a more expensive truck without having the accounts lined up, but would also hate to limit myself with a van up front, if the truck is something I can grow into. I got insurance quotes for both and surprisingly the truck is only $300/month more.

With vans do you still need DOT/MC? In the meantime would I be able to transport loads in a rental van without these (even the gig based stuff)?

Any insight or advice would be very helpful.