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 
Used is proving popular
Page 52
Page 53
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Operators concerned about price hikes on new trucks are, instead, turning to late-registered used examples, which will bump up costs.
Words: Steve Banner
Frightened by the rising price of factory-fresh trucks, a growing number of operators who usually buy new are buying late-registered used examples instead, a number of dealers are reporting.
"It's understandable given that a new vehicle might be getting on for twice the price of a two-year-old example," says Stuart Wolstenholme, used sales manager at the Middleton. Manchester branch of Scania dealership West Pennine Trucks.
"You could be paying £70,000 for a new tractor unit compared with £35.000 to £38,000 for one that dates back to 2007," reveals Paul Diamond, used sales specialist at Mercedes-Benz dealership Road Range, which has branches in Liverpool, Llandudno and on Deeside.
-Enquiries have picked up as more companies are deciding to replace equipment, and we're certainly attracting interest from those who would normally buy new,reveals Maritime Transport's general manager, fleet sales, Matt Heath. It disposes of its vehicles through its own web-based operation www.secondhandtrucks.co.uk and Heath says that, as an operator, Maritime is only too well aware that new truck prices are rising.
Customers in the mood to buy might not always find it particularly easy to obtain the exact vehicles they are looking for, especially given the growing shortage of desirable, retailable second-hand stock across the nation.
Shortage set to worsen
In the current economic climate, a number of operators are deciding to hang on to their existing vehicles rather than releasing them on to the used market, and acquiring replacements.
In addition, low new truck sales mean the shortage is likely to get worse before it gets better.
This has the knock-on effect that if trucks are not being sold new then they will not be appearing on used dealer forecourts as second-hand buys over the next two or three years.
-Our stock of used trucks is getting lower and lower,says Wolstenholme. "I regularly advertise the fact that we buy used Scanias. Not so long ago I was being deluged with calls from people wanting to sell me their trucks, but that's not the case now and anything we do acquire is bought by somebody almost immediately.
had an 09 18-tonne curtainsider recently that came in and went out again in no more than a fortnight. As things stand, I've only got two 18-tonners in stock.
"I've got six two-year-old Topline tractor units arriving shortly and I'm counting the days until they appear," he continues. "I've already got people ringing me about them. The market for 6x2 units has been improving since October and is now healthy.
"Nor is it the case that it is only late-plate trucks that are difficult to find," he adds "Desirable older vehicles are hard to locate, too."
Stock is drying up
Matt Hammond, used vehicle sales manager at West Thurrock, Essex-based dealership Harris DAF, says: "There are still trucks about if you look hard enough, but stock is drying up all round."
This is corroborated by Jason Addison of Used Trucks, part of the Ipswich-based Seven group of companies, who say: "Our stock is lower now than it has been at any time during the past eight or nine months,says "We've got a small list of people waiting for vehicles, and although sales of 7.5-tonners arc a little slow, we've had a bit of a run on 13-tonners. It seems clear that operators are moving up from the former to the latter. We're also finding that prices are starting to rise slowly but surely, and it's definitely the case that some people who would otherwise have bought new are now buying used."
Wolstenholme is having to pay slightly more for any stock he purchases. "Prices have got stronger, no question about it," he observes.
While the stock drought is not pushing Wolstenholme to purchase makes of truck other than Scania in large numbers, there are still exceptions.
"I'm always interested in 26-tonne 6x2 rigids, no matter what make, and I've just bought four Mercedes-Benz Axors with day cabs and fridge bodies that fall into that category," he says."I've already sold two of them."
-A late-registered low-mileage 6x2 26-tonne fridge will always sell and gives a dealer a bit of scope to make a decent margin," says Road Range's Diamond.
Prewett, though, is not convinced that a shortage of stock is a huge industry-wide problem at present, but believes it might become so over the next two years.
It will be then that the impact of today's low vehicle registrations really start to be felt, he suggests; and used prices may rise steeply as a consequence.
"I hope that won't happen," he says."But it could." •