Strong start for TruckAuctionsUK
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TruckAuctionsUK, the newly established sale at Donington Park, has got off to a flying start with 143 trucks and trailers on offer at the first sale, says Mike Gray, the former Commercial Vehicle Auctions executive who has helped set up the venture. "We sold 71% of the entry," he says. "Most auction houses holding their very first sale would have been happy with 50%."
The trucks are all displayed outside, in the circuit's paddock, but the bidding takes place indoors. A photograph of each truck is projected on a screen as it comes under the hammer. "The vehicles can be inspected for up to three hours prior to the sale, and there is a metre of space around each one so that prospective purchasers can get proper access," he says. "We show the pictures because even if a bidder has scribbled lots of notes in his catalogue, he can forget what the truck concerned actually looks like."
The sale room is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter, adds Gray: "You can sit in comfort, and you're not aggravated by exhaust fumes." Almost 200 buyers registered for the first sale, including several from the Republic of Ireland. "Our competitors turned up too, and took lots of pictures," he smiles.
A 1989 Nooteboom four-axle step-frame low-loader trailer with a two-axle jig dolly on the front fetched an impressive £41,500. "The vehicles Transfieet entered did especially well, achieving 95% of CAP guide average," says Gray.