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40 | Overdrive | August 2017 U sed truck prices tumbled throughout 2016. The average retail price of 3-to- 5-year-old tractors, $73,300 in January 2016, plunged to $53,900 in December, according to J.D. Power Valuation Services. Though prices stabilized in the first half of 2017 – hold- ing near $60,000 through June – that modest rebound might be only a calm before the storm. Tractors sold in 2014 and 2015 are expected to flood the market in num- bers that should restrain pric- ing through about 2020, fore- casts Steve Clough, president of Arrow Truck Sales. That market should pres- ent owner-operators further opportunity to score cheap deals on nice equipment, particularly on aerodynamic fleet-spec sleepers. "There are some nice buys out there right now, and any- body that tells you there's not is kidding themselves," says Craig Kendall, president of the Used Truck Association and market manager for The Pete Store, a 15-store dealer group that spans the East Coast. Used truck supply is pre- determined, Clough says. It's based almost entirely on the number of trucks retailed new between three and five years earlier, the common turnover cycles for fleets. While sales cycle swings are inevitable, dramatically opposite market trends over the last decade threw the used truck supply into a more severe pendulum pattern. The pre-buy ahead of 2007 emissions standards resulted in calendar 2005 and 2006 being the two highest Take your pick Time to buy The oversupplied used truck market soon will be more awash with 3-to-5-year-old tractors, creating great bargains for owner-operators. BY JAMES JAILLET Peterbilt 587 Freightliner Cascadia Kenworth T660 Volvo VNL 780 International ProStar Market Average, all sleepers $80,000 $75,000 $70,000 $65,000 $60,000 $55,000 $50,000 $45,000 $40,000 $35,000 $30,000 $25,000 $20,000 $15,000 $10,000 Average Retail Selling Price of Selected 3-5-Year-Old Sleeper Tractors Adjusted for Mileage Jan. 16 June 17 J.D. Power Valuation Services

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• COVER STORY: Time to buy The oversupplied used truck market soon will be more awash with 3-to-5-year-old tractors, creating great bargains for owner-operators. Learn more about spec’ing and inspecting a preowned vehicle, financing options and warranties.
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