Construction vehicles have a tough life and tend to require replacement sooner than you’d think. This comes at a price, but of course, you can still recoup some of your original investment if you sell second-hand gear rather than scrapping it.
The key is to know where to offer your used construction vehicles in order to get the best price and also reduce the amount of hassle involved, so let’s talk through the main options you have today.
Selling trucks quickly
If you don’t want to dilly-dally, the fastest route is to sell to a specialist company that buys second-hand vehicles from the construction industry so that it can move on wholesale commercial trucks to its customers looking for an affordable entry point to the market.
The biggest operators in this space are set up to handle bulk transactions, so even if you’re intending to shift an entire fleet in order to replace it with new equivalents, such companies have both the infrastructure and the capital to cope with your needs.
Better yet, the top names won’t muddy the waters with lots of tire-kicking and prevarication over the state of used trucks. Instead, you’ll be able to sell them whether they are in perfect working order or are requiring a bit of TLC, thus overcoming the obstacles that are involved with private sales.
Selling vehicles at auction
For those who want to wring maximum value out of old items, auctions are an enduringly popular option, especially for used construction vehicles.
Online auctions are commonplace today, and even land-based auction houses tend to have their live sales synchronized with the web so that bidders can participate even if they aren’t able to attend in person.
All auctions come with a degree of risk, which is why setting a reserve on your valuable business assets is wise. That way if they don’t hit the minimum amount you’d expect them to achieve, you won’t have to settle for less, and can always try again later, or shift to a different sales strategy instead.
Trading in to achieve major discounts
Depending on where you are procuring your replacement vehicles, you may be able to get a trade-in offer for your older units as part of the deal.
Major dealers tend to be in the best position to handle this when offloading trucks and other equipment in bulk.
Obviously with a trade-in offer you aren’t obliged to accept it, so if it’s a little low you could always turn it down and take an alternative approach, or attempt to negotiate a more favorable arrangement. It helps to have several offers, and a good sense of the resale value of your vehicles, so that you can handle negotiations effectively.
Consider if selling is the right option
Finally, you might want to think carefully about whether you even need to sell the construction vehicles you’re looking to upgrade.
If you’ve got a tight budget to work with, you could find that holding onto existing equipment and deploying it elsewhere within your operations, or even renting it out to third parties, is the right move.
Obviously, this will depend on your circumstances and your requirements, but you definitely shouldn’t discount the concept of not selling older vehicles, especially in the current climate.
The last word on selling in bulk
With a multitude of options to weigh up, the one thing you don’t want to do is rush in before you’ve considered all the angles.
Making a good deal will mean more if you’ve done your homework, and it will have a knock-on effect that benefits the rest of your operations as well.
