1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
Buyers playing safe in uncertain times
Page 51
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The used truck trade is marking time, says independent dealer Martin Rhodes. "There's business about, but not as much as I thought there would be," he observes.
"What's more, a lot of people are finding that it's being generated by existing contacts," he continues. "There aren't that many fresh buyers coming along at present.
"I'm not sure whether it's the war in Iraq that's affecting confidence, but something is. You can feel that things aren't exactly right."
The disposal policies being pursued by certain manufacturers aren't helping, he adds. "They seem to be pursuing a two-tier approach," he says. "There's the price main dealers are expected to sell ex-contract trucks at, and the prices actually being realised by the trucks that manufacturers are dumping into the auctions.
"They've depressed values quite considerably over the past six months, and I don't think the guides have caught up yet. But dealers are still being told by their manufacturers that ex-contract vehicles must make guide retail, no matter what."
The price fetched by one particular make and model of tractor popular with fleets has fallen by £1,000a-month since the end of last year, as a result of that manufacturer's disposal programme, he claims.
"But having said all that, tractors with big cabs and big engines will still always sell, and 17 to 1B-tonners remain in demand," adds Rhodes.
• independent dealer Robert Reynolds agrees with Rhodes that the trading climate isn't easy.
"Rising National Insurance contri
butions and the impact of the war are the excuses people tend to give, but the truth is that it's the general economic climate," he says.
"We're now seeing a slowdown in retail sales as well as in manufacturing, and it has to be said that an awful lot of hauliers have become disillusioned with the transport business. Many of them have had enough, and want out.
"There's business about, and the Saturday auctions are busy, but you have to be quick and slick on your feet to get it."