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Burden of proof
Page 38
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Up to one in five used vehicles still has outstanding finance on it when it is sold, meaning that it does not belong to the seller. How can you make sure the sale is on a legal footing? Pat Hagan reports.
For any operator to be successful, buying the right truck at the right price is essential. But what happens when the new pride and joy of your fleet turns out to have a rather murky past?
One of the most common mistakes that all vehicle purchasers make — whether they are buying a used hatchback or an HGV— is failing to check out its history. Another is that they assume,incorrectly, that if anything goes wrong the law will probably be on their side.
Yet, every year, hundreds of buyers purchase vehicles without realising they are already subject to a hire purchase or leasing arrangement and do not belong to the person doing the selling but to the finance house that provided the cash in the first place.
Easy checks
Commercial Motor often hears from concerned readers about the pitfalls of buying used trucks and trailers without knowing their full financial status. Yet according to HPI, a Salisbury-based company that stores records on vehicles that are covered by finance or have been stolen, for the price of a few gallons of diesel, hauliers could save themselves an awful lot of hassle. For £39.95, it will run a check on the registration number and the vehicle identification number — the unique number allocated to each car or truck — that show whether the vehicle is already under finance, stolen or previously written off "I think people are becoming more aware of the need to check vehicles," says Martin Brassell, director of HPI. "Yet there are still a great many people who do not take adequate precautions, particularly when buying in the private sector. WI s ow vvhdtber sto en or previous
written off'