Why U.S. second-hand trucks are hot? Reveal the truth you don't know

In the past two years, the logistics market has been sluggish, and it has become increasingly difficult to make money in domestic transportation. The driver borrows money to buy a new car. Except for the loan repayment, there is little profit left every month. The heavy financial burden makes drivers with insufficient funds hope to save part of the cost by buying second-hand cars. However, due to the lack of systematic supervision, this domestic market is still in a mixed state of development, which discourages many young drivers. The turnover of used trucks is also far less than that of new cars.

However, in the United States across the ocean, the situation is just the opposite. According to statistics from the US IHS website, in 2015, a total of 755,109 second-hand commercial vehicles were traded across the United States, accounting for 51.4% of all commercial vehicle sales. Although by definition, commercial vehicles include passenger cars and trucks. Although the transaction volume of second-hand trucks is not specified here, we can also see from the overall data that the US is much more prosperous than China in this part of the market.

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The domestic purchase of second-hand trucks mainly relies on drivers to visit the large second-hand car market. The more famous Liangshan second-hand car market has a single channel. In contrast, the United States has a much richer platform for selling second-hand trucks, mainly including authorized dealers, independent dealers, and second-hand truck auction websites.

● Dealer + online auction, rich and diverse sales channels

NO.1 authorized dealer

Authorized distributors refer to subordinate distributors licensed by the manufacturer. Most American truck manufacturers have dedicated second-hand vehicle management platforms, such as SelecTrucks under the North American Daimler Group and Diamond Renewed under Navistar, which regularly conduct unified and systematic inspection, maintenance, and refurbishment of these vehicles. It is then sold to consumers through brand distributors.

Compared with the other two operating platforms, authorized dealers directly connect with manufacturers. Consumers purchase second-hand cars through comprehensive quality testing, so they are more secure and the after-sales service they enjoy is relatively professional. Although the transaction price is higher than the other two forms, it still wins the trust of many customers by virtue of its integrity and professionalism.

Through authorized dealers to purchase second-hand trucks, customers can request that the annual inspection of the Transportation Administration be included in the transaction terms, and at the same time, they can continue to enjoy the warranty service within the period through legal procedures. In addition, second-hand truck operating platforms such as Daimler and Navistar will also provide other warranty measures, ranging from 50,000 to 300,000 miles from 6 months to 36 months.

NO.2 Independent distributor

In addition to authorized dealers with manufacturers, there are also some independent second-hand truck dealers in the United States. Although there is no manufacturer behind it, the scale of operation of independent dealers is not worse than the former, especially some chained businesses, which have a complete sales system, products cover complete vehicles and parts, and special personnel provide vehicle inspections. , Repair, modification and beautification services, with its own logistics fleet behind it, responsible for the subsequent transportation of products. Hundreds of second-hand trucks have been inspected and repaired, and parked neatly in designated areas, just like new cars that have just left the factory. There is no sense of chaos and shabby.

In terms of product quality, independent dealers also provide a certain period of warranty service for the vehicles and parts they sell, and customers can enjoy the unified national protection policy.

According to an independent dealer in the United States, their company can sell 400-600 second-hand trucks a year. At the same time, he said that the deposit and monthly payment required to buy a second-hand truck are much lower than that of a new car, which is very attractive.

NO.3 Auction website

When buying second-hand trucks in the United States, consumers can also buy them through online auctions. There are many websites that operate the used car business, and you can find them by searching on Google.

Generally speaking, heavy trucks will eventually be sold for US$20,000 to US$50,000; if they are not sold at the expiration date, the auction bid will be reduced by US$1,000 and re-bid. If the transaction is successful, consumers will eventually need to pay a certain intermediary fee to the website based on the final transaction price.

● Official inspection + historical archives complete quality assurance system

The prosperity of the second-hand truck market in the United States can be attributed to its diverse sales channels and its sound quality assurance system for second-hand vehicles, which includes the constraints of three mechanisms, including the certification system for second-hand vehicles, vehicle transaction files, and mandatory inspections for transfers.

NO.1 Used car certification system

Beginning in the 1980s, “certified second-hand cars” began to appear in the United States. Unlike new cars and traditional second-hand cars, certified second-hand cars were originally certified by some large-scale dealers to certify the used cars they sold. The system has been extended to car dealers of almost all brands.

The quality of certified second-hand cars is guaranteed and the warranty service is available. Consumers' concerns are resolved, which greatly stimulates consumers' enthusiasm for buying second-hand cars.

NO.2 Vehicle transaction file

There are professional service companies in the United States for consumers to inquire about automobile background information, such as CarFax, which has a powerful vehicle file identification system that can collect and integrate vehicle information from multiple channels such as OEMs, traffic management departments, fire protection agencies, and financial service companies. , Form the vehicle condition transaction record.

When consumers buy a second-hand car, they only need to pay a certain fee to get the history report of the vehicle, and then they can fully understand and master the vehicle condition, maintenance record, major accident record and other important information of the target vehicle, reducing the asymmetry of vehicle information. The possibility of loss of car purchase.

NO.3 Compulsory inspection for transfer of ownership

The United States stipulates that inspections must be carried out when vehicle transactions are transferred. The original owner must ensure that the vehicle can pass the inspection. The contents of the inspection have different regulations in each state. California only requires exhaust gas testing, while Washington, DC requires safety testing at the same time. Compulsory testing before the transfer of ownership also protects the rights and interests of consumers to a certain extent.

● Low loan interest rates and preferential financial policies

In addition to the above two points, the good financial policies of the United States provide great convenience to consumers who need loans to purchase second-hand trucks.

After the 2008 recession, US loan interest rates have been maintained at a relatively low level. Although the US federal funds rate has risen by 0.25% in recent times, it has little effect on the interest rate of second-hand truck loans.

Generally speaking, individuals with excellent credit ratings can enjoy ultra-low interest rates of 6% or even 3% when buying second-hand trucks, while ordinary buyers' loan interest rates are around 8%-10%. Consumers with poor credit records can buy second-hand trucks through subprime loans. However, due to the low credit rating of these borrowers, the relative interest rate is much higher, generally above 18%, and the down payment is around 20%.

● Summary

Unlike the tepid domestic second-hand truck market, American second-hand trucks have played a vital role in promoting truck sales across the United States. The prosperity and development of the second-hand truck market in the United States is inseparable from the strong consumer demand for cars. But the real support behind the demand is strictly standardized management methods. Reliable quality is a prerequisite for more Americans willing to buy second-hand trucks.