Auctions show first signs of recovery There's something for everyone
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as trade picks up in major sectors Life in the used truck trade is cyclical. This is worth considering when things appear to be down and out. In time things recover and suddenly, life is full of.. well, life.
Everything hinges on the economy and the ethos of boom and bust. When we have exploited the good times the economy starts to slow, and transport is the first area affected. Shoppers cut back on the niceto-haves, imports suffer, fewer containers arrive on ships, demand for haulage subsides and it leads to a weakening demand for new and used vehicles.
Construction is another area where signs of a stuttering economy flag up first. Projects get canned when potential buyers choose to make do. Used trucks become a buyer's market.
Now there are signs that manufacturing, retail and construction are on the up, as well as the on-going battle to profit in biomass and waste. The British Chambers of Commerce revealed that about 39% of UK businesses are now exporting. That's up about 7% and it has helped narrow the UK trade deficit with the rest of the world to £3.1bn (March 2013). That is despite the value of imports rising by 2.6% as shoppers return to the high street. The best place to see this 'recovery' is at auction.
Here trade and users can get a quick fix. A readymade truck that can do a job. Trade is already upping the ante on any curtain/box rigids, which is already a strong market because of poor volumes.
After a lull, tipper-grab trucks coming through are also seeing a significant rise in demand, as more civil engineering projects move from planning to approval.
And there has been a lot more activity in the moving floor sector. With a refurb, these trailers are making some serious money as hauliers increasingly push for a piece of the biomass, recycling and bulk waste markets. Now, it is a seller's market.