Whether you are looking to purchase a semi-truck to expand your fleet or to start a new trucking business, purchasing a well-maintained, used truck provides significant cost savings over purchasing a new one.
Regardless of the make and model of the used semi-truck you are considering, the following tips will help ensure you make a smart purchase.
Tip: Understand What You Need in a Semi-Truck
Understanding what you need in a semi-truck is half the battle of buying one.
Sure, it would be amazing to have a big sleeping area with plush carpeting and a comfortable bed, but if you will only be doing local trips, then that sleeping area is just wasted space and wasted purchasing power.
When thinking about what you need in a truck, consider:
- the type of driving you will be doing
- the location where you will be driving
- the engine size needed
- driveline specs needed
Your goal is to purchase the nicest truck that meets your needs and can get the job done without having a bunch of bells and whistles no one will appreciate.
Tip: Check the Entire Truck for Signs of Rust Damage
You should not see rust anywhere on a used semi-truck you are considering for purchase. There should not be any under the hood, on the body, or on the undercarriage.
Once rust starts growing, it will continue to eat through metal until it is stopped. Those little rust spots of today will lead to major bodywork down the line if someone doesn't address them.
If you see rust, then your deal on the truck needs to be good enough to offset the costs of remediating the rust issues. Even if the rust problem isn't bad today, it will be down the line. And, if you purchase the truck with a known rust problem, then it will be yours to repair. And, semi-truck bodywork is not inexpensive.
Tip: Verify the Truck's History and Review Its Paperwork
Finally, it is very important you take the time to do an online check of a semi-trucks accident history and carefully review its ownership and registration paperwork.
Reviewing the accident history is vital. The last thing you want is to purchase a great-looking truck only to discover the bodywork was redone after a major accident that bent the frame or caused other damage to the truck that wasn't repaired.
Never buy a truck from an individual or business without all of the legal ownership paperwork having the same name. Otherwise, you could find yourself the "owner" of a stolen truck and lose a lot of money. For more information, contact a company like HandshakeFleet.
