The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/236631
PHOTO BY TMC TRANSPORTATION New, Used, BUY OR LEASE Many choices await you if you're looking to acquire hauling equipment W hat'll it be, buddy? New or used? Buy or lease? A salesperson could throw those questions at a prospective buyer and get a combination of answers, and none of them would be absolutely wrong. Because like everything in trucking, "it depends." The choice has become more critical since the cost of a new over-theroad tractor has climbed to well over $100,000 and a midrange truck can be $75,000 or more. Manufacturers blame the price increases on government safety and exhaust-emissions requirements, and on inflation of the costs of materials used in building the complex vehicles. truck might still be OK, but you get to 600,000, 700,000, 800,000 miles, and that's when things start nickel and diming you." The cost of purchasing is higher, but your maintenance cost is much lower with a new truck, he says. New trucks have the latest technology that can save on fuel and other operating costs and help avoid accidents, as well as clean up New or used? the environment. The selective catalytic reduction now used by all heavy-duty diesel engine makers deals with nitrogen oxide in the exhaust and takes stress out of the engine. But choosing new or used "depends on the customer and on the Why buy a new truck? "Low maintenance and less downtime," says J.P. Heineman, a salesman at Truck Country's Cedar Rapids, Iowa, location. "Downtime – that's number one. A half a million-mile used application," Heineman says. For instance, he says, someone who doesn't want to deal with diesel exhaust fluid will have to buy used. A key factor is mileage. "If the customer is contemplating new or used, and he runs a lot of miles and has the means to go new, I'm putting him in a new truck. If a customer is putting 2,000 miles a year on the truck Why buy a new truck? "Low maintenance and less downtime." Why buy a used truck? "You can get two for one – that's probably the biggest advantage over new." – J.P Heineman,Truck Country Freightliner . hauling crops out of his 180 acres, and then he parks it for 10 months of the year, he should buy used." You can't beat used trucks on price, he says. "You can get two for one – that's probably the biggest advantage. If you're buying used trucks, your Tom Berg • Senior Editor 42 HDT • JANUARY 2014 www.truckinginfo.com