Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/535950
34 | Overdrive | July 2015 T he market for used trucks, favored by owner-op- erators in three out of fi ve purchases, is better than it has been in years. Thanks to a higher volume of newer used trucks becoming available, prices have dropped. Also, interest rates are in owner-operators' favor, particularly those with good credit. "One thing we look at is build rates," says Mike Mee- han of the Fleet Advantage leasing service, which is geared toward larger fl eets. Because of the recession, production was low for 2008- '10 model trucks, most with 2007-'09 emissions-spec en- gines. Many owner-operators also were reluctant to buy then due to emissions-system performance. Because supply was low, pricing for those trucks has "been very lofty for the last 18 months or so," Meehan says. As the economy recov- ered, production picked up. Now many of the 2011-'13 model-year tractors, with post-2010 engine technology, With the credit market loosened and late-model used truck prices looking better, it's a good time to trade, but watch out for problems with emissions systems. BY TODD DILLS market market Buyers'