Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/757641
December 2016 | Overdrive | 31 Oct. 31 that the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ELD mandate. At press time, OOIDA planned to press the appeals court for a rehearing. Among the 5 percent of Overdrive read- ers who've already put older vehicles into service since the mandate was announced is David Morin, owner of Z-Tranz, a Morganton, N.C.-based small fleet. Prior to the mandate being introduced, the owner-operator had four trucks, "two 1999 models, one 2000 and one 2001." Though Morin was somewhat confi- dent that broad opposition to the man- date at the time of its release might lead to its repeal, fear of the unknown with ELDs set in quickly. When the chance arose early this year to buy an additional '99 model, he jumped at it. A private party was selling the Western Star. "It needed a good amount of work," Morin says, but at least "the motor sup- posedly had been rebuilt." New head gas- kets and other evidence gave him some confidence in the seller's claim. The work he put into it before introduc- ing it into his fleet included "a bunch of small things" to start, and more after its first big run. Months later, with the unit in service and about $20,000 spent on parts and his time for the fixup, he feels like the seller was telling the truth about the rebuild. "It doesn't use any oil," he says. A $20,000 investment is not an insub- stantial amount for a truck of that age, Hepler believes. About his own 1998 Volvo, he says, "Normally a truck like this, because of the age on it, might be worth between $3,000 and $5,000. But since this one's been well kept up, it'd probably be worth a little more – $10,000 at the most" – in a normal market. But that era of engines is already in higher demand, given minimal emissions equipment, says Chris Visser, National Auto Dealers Association senior analyst and product manager. "EPA '98 and earlier trucks still in solid, usable condi- tion are already bringing strong money in non-emissions regions due to their simplicity, fuel economy and reliability. The ELD cutoff will further increase Who's running the old trucks Shares of pre-2000 model-year Class 8 truck population, last 12 months 1 to 4 power units 42.1% 5 to 9 18% 10 to 19 12.8% 20 to 49 10.6% 50 to 99 5% 100 to 249 4.6% 250 to 499 2.3% 500+ 4.6% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FLEET SIZE POWER UNITS Where older trucks are migrating -0.6 -0.3 0.0 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5 RigDig Business Intelligence, rigdig.com/bi, verified active Class 8 vehicles If you compare fleets' shares of pre-2000 model-year Class 8 trucks over the last 12 months versus the last 24 months, only the smallest fleets show an increased share. The chart reflects change in percentage points; the share for one-to-four-truck fleets rose 1.4 points to 42.1 percent. 1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-249 250-499 500+ Are you in the market for a pre-2000 model-year truck to avoid ELDs? BUYERS AND SELLERS: Among the 35 percent of respondents who noted they already operated a pre-2000 truck in this poll at OverdriveOnline.com in November, 5 percent said they'd purchased a 1999 or older model in the past year since the ELD mandate's introduction. Among those who answered No, 2 percent noted they had such a truck that they were looking to sell. YES: 39% Not sure 6% I already operate a pre-2000 truck 35% NO 20% I will look for one only if mandate challenges fail 11% I'm looking for one now 22% I'll look for one in 2017 6% Overdriveonline.com poll Courtesy of David Morin David Morin bought this 1999 Western Star early in 2016, anticipating the ELD mandate. He invested about $20,000 in buying the truck and prepping it for service.