Information to help Truck Buyers (38)

Data courtesy of SMMT 2024 Truck Market Down – First Time in Three Years Before we look at the best performing truck makers and their models, it is worth setting the scene of the 2024 market overall. After three years of continuous post-COVID19 market growth, the UK’s truck market took a turn for the worse…

There’s plenty of talk in the industry about electric trucks and the numbers being added to large fleets on an almost daily basis, so much so that it feels that gas trucks have almost been forgotten. Trucks powered by natural gas, and especially bio-gas, are generally considered to be less polluting than their diesel cousins…

2024 is turning out to be somewhat of a rollercoaster for the numbers of new trucks registered for use on the UK’s roads. The first quarter saw the registration volumes take a backward step which was reversed by improvement in the number in the second quarter. The performance from July to September plunged the figures…

Ask any operator about which truck is the cheapest to run and they will all have a strong view. For example, some truck buyers may prefer to pay more for the truck upfront with the expectation of higher residuals at the back end. Most new trucks are acquired on some type of contract lease of…

Data courtesy of the SMMT UPDATED: Full year 2024 Truck Registrations review here The first six months of 2024 has been interesting as far as truck registrations are concerned. The first three months showed a downturn which was more or less reversed by some good growth in the rigids segment in the spring. Overall growth…

Every company considering setting up their own transport operation or contracting their existing operation to an outside transport company will have different circumstances to consider but, when a business reaches a certain scale, the managing diresctor should face the question – is it better to invest in their own account transport operation or to contract…

If you operate a truck over 12 tonnes GVW in London, you will already be familiar with the Direct Vision Standards (DVS) that have been in place since March 2021. The scheme operates a DVS star rating for all trucks oer 12 tonnes GVW from zero to five stars, determined by how much a driver…

The automotive industry in general is constantly involved in buying and selling competing businesses. This is absolutely the case in the worldwide truck manufacturing industry. Looking at the short list of truck makers currently selling their vehicles in Europe you would be tempted to think that every single one is independent of each other. You…

This is exactly the decision that faces many own account operators who are venturing into operating a truck for the first time will ask. Perhaps the company is a wholesaler or manufacturer that has bought in transport or used vans to carry out their business and feel that they have outgrown both options. Of course,…

Second Consecutive Year of Growth in Truck Sales View final figures for 2024 The headline SMMT figures for the full year of 2023 show the excellent news that truck sales and registrations were up almost across the board with a total of 46,227 units. the final quarter’s data did start to indicate some more worrying…

We hear about new landmarks in the world of electric trucks all of the time; the first electric tractor unit in East Anglia, the first skip loader in the North West, Largest order of electric trucks etc., so we thought it worthwhile highlighting our own electric truck landmark. This week sees the first used electric…

It hasn’t been desperately well advertised, but the Government is giving operators who buy an approved electric truck thousands of pounds to offset the higher initial purchase price of the electric truck compared to buying diesel. The headline grant stands at an impressive £25,000 for large trucks and £16,000 for smaller trucks– but, as with…

Now that 2023 is over, we take a look back to see the developments that have taken place in the truck world in this fascinating time as alternatively-fuelled trucks start to finally make their way onto the UK market. New Truck Sales Looking back to last January, the year started out with Scania announcing that…

View Full 2023 Year Truck Sales Figures Here View the full 2024 Truck Sales Figures Here Further Good News – Truck Market Growth Continues Looking at the new truck registration statistics from the SMMT, anyone would think that the UK is performing well economically, rather than struggling under cost of living crisis with trade with…

If you are a relative newcomer to operating a truck – perhaps you have been running smaller vans and are looking to make the next step, then be prepared to be confronted with a choice of box truck lengths and heights. If you are only familiar with cars, you may think that trucks come in…

Time really does fly by when you are having fun. Now, let’s face it, what could possibly be more fun than being a used truck dealer? When you add these two (almost) facts together you will see that used truck dealers – especially those who trade in late, used trucks – will need to start…

There are two reasons that you may be considering buying a truck from an auction as opposed to one of the hundreds of used truck dealers across the UK. The first is that the truck you are looking for is particularly rare and the only suitable candidates are all at auction, the second being a…

We’ve always been told to avoid higher mileage cars, but is the same true for trucks? The simple answer is no, just because a used truck is showing a lot of kilometres on the tacho does not mean that it should be avoided in the used market. What is important for a truck is the…

Most businesses with a need to move things around will start off with a van or two, as they are straightforward to drive (and find drivers for), to buy and to service. Over time, the number of vans may well grow, but is using a load of vans the most efficient way of operating when…

Half Year Results – Trucks are on a Roll View Full 2023 Year Truck Sales Figures Here More good news for UK Plc as far as new truck registrations are concerned – these registration figures have been historically good indicators of business confidence in the economic environment. Nobody orders new trucks if they are expecting…