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if you want to get top dollar go for top spec
Page 71
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OPERATORS WHO want to dispose of their trucks in the used market more easily — and earn top dollar for them — should opt for the best possible specifications when they buy them new, says Colin Lee, the person responsible for disposing of ex-Dawson Rentals trucks under the National Truck and Trailer Sales banner.
"We sell around 200 trucks annually, mainly to end-users, include approximately 40 refrigerated vehicles," he reports. "For the most part they're no more than four years old, and usually low-mileage."
"When we first order them we have quality bodies from companies like Gray and Adams fitted, and we usually over-spec the fridge units. That means they can easily cope with maintaining temperatures down to -25°C. Everything we put on the fleet is designed to handle freezer work. "Some of them have twin compartments, some have dual evaporators, and quite a few have got cabs with factory-fitted airconditioning," he continues. "We also tend to opt for a slightly larger and more powerful engine than is the norm." The vast majority of the trucks that Lee sells these days are equipped with sleeper cabs.
"Second-hand buyers want them, and they're not all that expensive to specify when the vehicles are new," he points out. "Nor do they add all that much more weight."
Lee reckons that anything that's good quality and a bit specialised is in demand, including 6x2 curtainsiders. "Selling standard vehicles is much more of a struggle though." he observes, it's a tough market."