Fuel crisis has not hurt sales
Page 54
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I Despite the fuel crisis used truck buyers seem to be in the mood to spend, says Steve Smith of independent dealership Smith Brothers Services, based near Widnes, Lancs.
"In recent years we've gone from what was shaping up to be a mediocre year to good times." he reports. "Maybe we're seeing a swing away from operators taking new trucks on contract hire to buying used ones instead."
His problem is finding the right stock, and it's not just tractors with big cabs and big engines that are in short supply. We
do a lot of chassis alterations, and for those we use low-mileage 4x2 daycab tractors at 320hp," he says.
"You'd think there would be plenty around, but there aren't," Smith reports. "Most of the
ones we see have recorded mileages so high that you'd think they'd been to the moon and back. Sure, there are fields full of tractive units. But they're not the sort of tractive units that I deal in."