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Licence changes affect HGV sales
Page 47
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• Demand for used 7.5tanners may be faltering at last, as a result of the belated impact of changes to driver licensing legislation back in the '90s.
So suggests George Alexander, chief editor of commercial vehicles at Glass's Information Services.
The changes mean that anybody who passes a car driving test now is not allowed to drive anything heavier than a 3.5 tanner unless they take a separate test. Older drivers have 'grandfather's rights' and are unaffected.
"A growing number of operators are saying that if they've got to put a young driver through a separate test to drive a 7.5tonner, then they might just as well get them trained to drive the II or 13-tonner they'd actually prefer to use," he comments.
"As a consequence, some dealers are starting to view used 7.5-tonners as the 'problem children' of the industry," he adds.
"They're certainly becoming a lot more care
ful about what they stock.
"That's not to say that 7.5-tonner residuals have slumped," he stresses.
"They certainly haven't. However we could be at the turning point."
The rest of the market seems to be in rude health, says Alexander.
"The 17 and TS-winters are star performers, and good examples of almost any age will fetch strong money," he says.
"As for 26 -tonners, we don't see many of them around, but again, residuals are healthy.
"They tend to be run by professional operators who have specified them well, and that helps.
"Tippers and drops ides are good news, especially if they're equipped with cranes just so long as the crane has been mounted in the right place," he continues "Turning to used tractor units, Volvo's FH slipped back about 18 months to two years ago, but it's recovered, and is now going from strength to strength. It's back where it should be."