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Not just a used vehicle dealer
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As a rental and contract hire business, Fraikin, which remarkets about 2,000 vehicles every year, is a viable source for used stock big or small.
Words: Steve Banner/ Images: Tom Cunningham Operators in search of a second-hand vehicle like to have plenty of choice, and that is something Fraikin can offer. With outlets in Birmingham and Leeds, plus a busy website, the rental and contract hire giant stocks everything from vans and 7.5-tonners to multiwheeled rigids and tractor units. It disposes of forklifts, too — and even lawnmowers!
All these items have one thing in common, says head of used vehicle sales, Chris Butcher, they are all either ex-contract, having been leased to the previous user, or they have come from Frailcin's own hire fleet. "We don't go out into the market and actively buy stock in order to retail it," he says.
Usually, the vans and trucks are three-and-a-half to four years old, with mileages ranging from as high as 400,000km to 500,000km. where tractor units on trunking work are concerned, to a fraction of that if a rigid has been on constant stop-start city-centre delivery runs in heavy traffic.
Global sales
Of course, the grim economic climate has caused the age and mileage profile to alter a little. Butcher admits.
Some lessees have been hanging on to their vehicles and asking for lease extensions. because they're wary of committing themselves to a fresh agreement in uncertain trading condition& Newer-than-usual vans and trucks have been arriving for disposal at the same time as a result of other operators either going into liquidation or terminating lease deals early because they have lost customers.
Not everything Fraikin's UK operation has for sale is disposed of in Britain. though. It exports about 15% to 20% of its vehicles to a variety of countries, including Poland, Serbia. Malta, Sri Lanka and Cyprus.
Many left-hand-drive markets are happy to take right-hand-drive trucks, either because they are not bothered about which side of the cab the steering wheel is on or because they propose to convert them. "We've put a few of our trucks on a German website to see what sort of a reaction they get," says procurement and services director Alistair Wood.
Clearly, the weakness of sterling is helping exports, but that is counterbalanced by the fact that shipping costs are billed in dollars.
That can go some way towards cancelling out any exchange rate benefit if the customer happens to be based on the other side of the world.
Sold as seen
Fraikin's UK website generates a more-than-respectable level of enquiries, reveals Butcher, and the company enjoys a great deal of repeat business from clients that are based throughout the UK. "We get buyers from Devon coming up to Birmingham, and we get buyers from Scotland coming to Leeds." he says.
That is despite the fact that Fraikin refuses to accept part-exchanges. -We usually point the operator in the direction of one or two traders that we know if they've got a trade-in to dispose of,says Butcher.
Nor does its used truck operation arrange finance, and its vehicles are not sold with a warranty. "We sell them as seen," he says.
What its van and trucks do come with, however, is an annual vehicle test certificate, and a full service history, which can be a crucial consideration so far as the customer is concerned.
"In the majority of cases, the vehicles will have been maintained in our own workshops," he explains. "And what's more, if they have a problem of any kind, than we will be happy to identify it and fix it before they are sold."
While neither Butcher or Wood appear to be in any way depressed about the state of the market, they still admit that it is hard going out there.
"It's tough out there, and it is tough for everybody," states Butcher. "And [think the current trading conditions are going to be with us for a while." •