Employment Center

Drivers:
Compare Companies
Employers:
Register your Company

Username

Password

Forget your password?
Need to register?

Used trucks go on the market for lots of reasons. An owner might be ready to retire or anxious to quit trucking for any number of reasons. Many fleets trade on three- or four-year cycles to stay within a certain mileage. Leasing companies sell their off-lease inventories. And some trades are motivated by mechanical problems with the truck.

A certain amount of risk is involved in buying any pre-owned equipment. But since used trucks are going for about a third the cost of comparably equipped new trucks, buying used can make sense for first-time buyers and companies looking to add equipment to their fleets in a hurry.

Ryder Vehicle Sales is offering this 2001 Volvo VNL64T tandem tractor with 370hp Cummins and air ride with 678,991K miles for $27,760.

The trick is thoroughly qualifying the vehicle to avoid buying someone else’s trouble. “Let the buyer beware” is the first rule of shopping for a used truck. Fortunately, there are ways to determine with some degree of certainty whether you’re buying a quality used vehicle or one that’s going to cost you plenty in maintenance costs to keep it running.

The key to buying a quality used truck, insists the Used Truck Association (UTA), a nationwide organization formed in 1988 to develop ethical standards in used truck sales, is the pre-sale inspection: “You must do a thorough inspection. If you cannot do it yourself, and you do not know the party with whom you are dealing, hire someone to make the inspection.”

Pore over the maintenance records to satisfy yourself that the truck has been well maintained. Oil analysis is a good idea to determine the health of the engine. And an extended test drive, not just a turn around the block, is recommended before signing on the dotted line.

Now is a good time to buy a quality used trucks. New truck sales are depressed, but used truck sales are healthy, according to the UTA. “All indications show 2008 to be a growing year, as was 2007,” observed UTA President Eddie Walker in the December issue of UTA Industry Watch Newsletter. The group offers free pamphlets to prospective buyers of used trucks at its website, www.uta.org.

One pamphlet entitled “What is a Low Mileage Truck?” was written to help truckers understand how mileage is no longer a true indicator of a heavy truck’s reliability and usefulness. The pamphlet addresses used truck buyers’ perceptions, theory and reality of mileage and used truck worthiness, as well as the technological advances of major truck components and their impact on trucks and trucking.

Another brochure, “Trade Terms & Conditions,” describes the UTA’s comprehensive set of guidelines for “industry standard” trade terms and conditions. These are used to establish the condition of a used truck, as agreed to by both the seller and the buyer. A UTA White Paper, “Succeeding As An Owner-Operator,” discusses best practices of the small trucking business, including a “Cash Flow Analysis” calculator.

There are many reputable sources for used trucks. The Internet is the best place to start your shopping. It’s the fastest way to get a handle on the market and narrow down a truck in terms of price range to suit your budget, make, model, engine, and location. Internet sites specializing in used trucks provide detailed specs, mileage, and photos.

Dealers, truck manufacturers, truck leasing companies, fleets and owner operators advertise online. Many deals come with a limited warranty. Optional extended warranties are often offered and are considered cheap insurance by many truckers who are experienced in running pre-owned equipment.

Freightliner SelecTrucks is a good site to check out for used Freightliners. Certified “Road Ready” trucks are test driven by certified mechanics, who conduct a 150-point inspection of all major mechanical and cosmetic components. Each component must pass “sales condition” guidelines. Any item that fails is either repaired or replaced to OEM specifications, says Freightliner. A 60-day Buyers Assurance Warranty comes with select units, and comprehensive warranty options are available.

Used truck leases are also available. The Freightliner site recently offered a 2003 Century Class tractor with Detroit Series 60, 12.7L, 430hp diesel and 10-speed transmission for a monthly payment of $959 in a 30-month Selectlease™ program. You can apply for credit at the site, too. Minimum requirements include no bankruptcy in the past two years, six months driving experience and no current collections.

International offers its pre-owned trucks at www.internationalusedtrucks.com. A recent promotion listed a $599 lease on eligible 4000 Series units. All trucks undergo an 83-point inspection and fluid analysis. Special financing and incentives are available for purchase of fleet trade packages, with discounts on multiple units. All sales include a 90-day warranty with towing. International offers warranty options of up to 24 months/200K miles on Class 8 units.

Arrow Truck Sales
Maintains an inventory of over 2,000 heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks. A recent special listed a 2004 Volvo VNL 670 with less than 350K miles for $1,099 month. Arrow operates 17 locations across the country, offering value-added services, including extended warranty options, insurance and on-site financing.

Penske Used Trucks
Sells off-lease light-, medium- and heavy-duty used commercial vehicles which it has leased and maintained. Class 8 tractors are called in for PM service every 30,000 miles or 90 days. A thorough used-truck prep process is completed before trucks are sold. Most vehicles are sold at under 60 percent of Engine B50 life. B50 is the estimated mileage at which 50 percent of the engines are expected to fail or require major repairs. Oil analysis and coolant analysis is also performed.

Where to start your online shopping for a quality used truck? Do a Google™ search (www.google.com) for used commercial trucks. That will turn up a passel of web sites listing used trucks: buyatruck.net, truckpaper.com, trucktraderonline, usedtrucklistings.com and many others. Happy shopping.