Automotive Blog

With the economy slumping currently it is not surprising that many truckers have postponed their dreams of owning their own truck. The thing is that if you are planning to purchase a new truck there really is no reason for you to put it off. You can find repo trucks or repossessed trucks for sale at a much lower price than you would find new ones. Most repo trucks are in excellent condition. It may simply be that the previous owners decided to pursue another career option or simply could not handle the life of a trucker. Repo trucks are going to cost you much less than new ones and will be in excellent condition for the most part.

Finding repo trucks for sale can be as simple as a Google search for the term. In order to find the truck that you need however, you first need to understand the differences in semi trucks. Whether you need a conventional truck with or without a sleeper compartment you should be able to locate the one that you need and save money by purchasing a repossessed truck. If you are planning to be on the road for long stretches of time it would probably be best to buy a truck with a sleeper. Sleepers give you somewhere to lay your head, watch television, do computer work and you can even put small kitchen appliances in them to cook your own food. This could save you a lot of money versus purchasing all your meals at truck stops along your trip. Once you know what type of truck you need you should determine the manufacturer that you want.

There are many semi truck manufacturers and each has their own fan base. Kenworth, Freightliner, Peterbilt and Mack trucks are probably the most popular and are perhaps the ones that you remember seeing on freeways when you were younger. Today you would need to add Volvo, International, GMC, Sterling, Western Star and a host of other semi manufacturers to the equation.

The choices of trucks for sale are virtually endless. Of course you may not find that all manufacturers produce the exact truck that you want so you should do a little research into each truck type and brand and determine which one you think would best suit your individual needs as a trucker. Now, back to buying Repo trucks there are many places online where you can get valuable information into purchasing trucks. Do your research before you decide to buy to ensure that you are choosing the truck that is best for you.

Pickups sales have been high because they are reliable when it comes to engine power and performance. In fact, Detroit automakers are considering this type as sales and profit boosters as compared with SUVs.In today’s modern time, the pick ups evolved into more sophisticated vehicles. They now have expensive features found on cars that include leather seats, booming stereos and large passenger compartments. Moreover, pickups have also adopted the same image as SUVs and are now parked in industrialized areas – gone are the days for “construction site only parking”.Unfortunately in terms of popularity and sales, SUVs surpassed pickups. And even for companies with the newest models, truck sales have dropped while rebates and other incentives are climbing.

Two months ago, Bucky Hacker exchanged his 2002 Dodge Ram Quad Cab pickup with a subcompact car - the Mazda 3 with top of the line Mazda throttle position sensor. A student from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Mr. Hacker bought his Dodge vehicle to drag a boat and also to attract girls with its very masculine appearance.But he was ridiculed. His Dodge gas consumption reached 13 miles per gallon just for towing the boat while his new Mazda averages twice that or 26 miles per gallon in city and highway driving.According to him the reasons behind the decline in the truck sales are the customers’ growing sense of environmental concern, the steeping gas prices, and the uncertain housing market which triggers number of contractors to delay buying new trucks. All these caused the sales drop to 5 percent so far from last year’s weak market. Such percentage is more than 50 percent of the overall decline in industry sales which is so far 2 percent down this year.

As a result, car manufacturers began expecting pickup sales to drop since late 1990s up to this year.According to the Power Information Network, the average discount on a Dodge Ram is $6,000 – a $500 increase since January. On every Silverado pickup, Chevrolet is paying an average of $2,343 in incentives. When the truck was new at the beginning of the year, the brand doubled its discounts.The same data showed that even Toyota discounted its Tundra during its introduction in February by an average of $2,000.A data from CNW Marketing Research, which follows industry trends, showed that 6 years ago, 28 percent of consumers all over US who bought pickups did so because of the vehicles’ appearance. But this year, only 16 percent of customers purchased big trucks with the primary reason of their looks.Art Spinella, the president of CNW, said that the buyers who have defected will not go back. They would rather find other stylish vehicles. He added that contractors, farmers or ranchers who need pickups for their businesses will continue to buy them, but not so often like the previous decades.

Ford, which strongly depends on trucks, has 24 percent sales on pickups and 41 percent on the company’s gross North American profits during the past five years. This was according to Mr. Johnson’s computations in a research report.Same as Ford, GM, too, heavily relies on pick ups. GM’s 32 percent of gross profits is composed of 20 percent pickups sales and others; while Chrysler pickups contributed 25 percent of its profits and 18 percent were pickups vehicle sales during the past five years.Ford’s loss of $12.6 billion was attributed to the decline in pickup truck sales in 2006. However, such figure is also attributed to the company’s restructuring plan.However, despite economic dread, some dealers say their pickup truck business has remained as it is.Meanwhile, auto makers that were badly affected by such trend on trucks are optimistic that they will soon find a way to regain their losses.

To make pickup trucks marketable again like decades ago, car companies must address the issue on the vehicles’ fuel economy and make some more innovations. After all, everybody now is affected by the continuously increasing gas prices while considering vehicle design and styling.

There really are two main reasons for purchasing a utility or cargo trailer . The rising price of fuel today has caused small business owners to really examine their daily operating costs. Nothing expands the hauling capability of a small vehicle more then a small utility or cargo trailer. The second reason is for a specific recreation or hobby use.

At one time, the business owner would buy the largest truck possible which was capable of hauling all of his equipment to the jobsite. It really didn’t matter if you used all the equipment on every job or not. I can speak from experience here. You just wanted the security of knowing you were prepared for anything. Although that was a nice convenience, today it is simply impractical and expensive.

In today’s world of high fuel costs, it makes much more sense to operate your business with as small a vehicle as practical and depend upon a good quality utility trailer to haul your tools and equipment for the specific job at hand. Many owners of traditional “box-type” trucks are trading them in for standard and small size pickup trucks. At first, the owners suffer a bit of anxiety while deciding exactly what equipment is absolutely necessary to have with them every day and what equipment can be stored in their garage until they have that specific need. From personal experience, you will learn very quickly that most equipment you have been hauling around for years, simply isn’t necessary.

The second benefit of owning a good quality utility or cargo trailer is that it allows you to store your equipment in the yard instead of taking up valuable room in your garage. I’ve known more then one contractor who actually has two trailers for job specific equipment.

One convenience to look for when buying a cargo trailer is a side door if it is over 10 feet in length. This allows much easier access then climbing over equipment to find that one tool you stored in the front of the trailer and you only use once every six months. I’ve known some contractors who purchased large cargo trailers and actually set up a mobile shop inside the trailer. Another option to consider is a drop-down ramp door if you will be moving heavy equipment in and out of your trailer on a regular basis. I’ve found this option very beneficial for handling heavy floor maintenance equipment. Of couse the same would apply for landscaping or garden equipment.

The second reason mentioned was using your utility or cargo trailer to haul your special “toys.” The special motorcycle and snowmobile trailers are set up specifically for those types of equipment. Of course open utility trailers are fine for hauling quads as well as lawn mowers. Actually today you will find a good quality utility or cargo trailer for whatever your specific needs are.

The market for exports of U.S.-made construction machinery closed out 2007 with a gain of more than 26% compared to the previous year, for a total of $17.2 billion dollars worth of equipment sold worldwide, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The AEM North American-based international trade group consolidates U.S. Commerce Department data with other sources into a quarterly export trends report.

“This positive export data underscores the importance of global trade to American manufacturers as they face a slowdown in U.S. business, as well as the continued need for free and fair trade across borders. The worldwide demand for infrastructure building has helped the construction equipment industry remain strong,” noted AEM Senior Vice President Al Cervero.

“Countries around the world are committing to infrastructure projects that increase their capability to compete in the global marketplace. The United States also needs to step up infrastructure investment or risk being left behind, especially by emerging markets,” Cervero added.

Africa, Asia and Europe showed the most growth in their export purchases, and Canada recorded the smallest gains for year-end 2007.

Africa led the way in 2007 with a 67% gain in export purchases, for a total of $1.1 billion. Exports to Asia grew 57% and totaled $2.4 billion dollars, while Europe took delivery of $2.8 billion of U.S.-made equipment, a 50% gain compared to 2007.

Export business to Canada showed the smallest growth–an increase of 8.5% that totaled $5.5 billion.

Construction machinery exports to South America grew 20% in 2007, with purchases worth $2.3 billion; and exports to Central America came in at $1.6 billion, a 27% increase. Export business to Australia/Oceania increased 12% to top $1.6 billion.

Despite an overall solid sales month for General Motors, deliveries of full-size sport-utility vehicles made in Janesville declined in January.The automaker reported Friday that compared to January 2007, last month’s sales of Chevrolet Suburbans were down 14.4 percent, whiles those of the Chevy Tahoe dropped 12.1 percent.

Deliveries of GMC Yukon XLs fell 19 percent, while sales of GMC Yukons were down 17.3 percent.

The four vehicles are made at GM’s assembly plant in Janesville as well as at GM plants in Arlington, Texas, and Silao, Mexico.

Last month’s drop continues a declining trend in the full-size SUV market that’s been taking shape for several years. That trend has been fueled by an uncertain economic situation and a consumer shift to crossover vehicles that get better gas mileage.

Last year, GM sold 338,600 Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukon XLs and Yukons, a drop of 4.7 percent from 2006. The 2007 sales number extended a decline that dates to at least 2002, when GM sold more than 500,000 of the trucks common to the Janesville, Arlington and Silao plants.

Expecting that decline to continue, GM will slow its production rate in Janesville starting in April. The local assembly line will slow from 52 jobs an hour to 44.

The slowdown, layoffs and an expected GM buyout plan are expected to decrease employment levels in Janesville, where 2,500 hourly and 200 salaried personnel now work.

On a corporate basis, GM shined in January while the rest of the industry took a dive. GM posted a 2.6 percent sales gain in January.

U.S. consumers bought just 1.04 million cars and trucks last month, down 4.3 percent from the same month a year ago. The performance translated into an annual seasonally adjusted selling rate of 15.24 million cars and trucks, making last month the worst January in a decade.

Nearly every major automaker posted declines. Sales were down 12.1 percent at Chrysler, 7.3 percent at Nissan, 3.9 percent at Ford and 2.3 percent at both Toyota and Honda.

Volvo Trucks North America announced that the company was not able to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers on terms of a new contract that would cover approximately 2,600 UAW members at the New River Valley, VA, truck assembly plant.

Negotiations for the new contract began on January 8, 2008. By its terms, the existing contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2008. As of Friday, the International UAW and its affiliated local #2069 engaged in a strike at the New River Valley plant.

“We regret that the UAW has decided to take this action,” said Per Carlsson, president and CEO of Volvo Trucks North America. “Volvo Trucks is committed to the collective bargaining process, and we will continue to bargain in good faith until an agreement can be achieved.”

Volvo Trucks North America assembles its Volvo VT, VN and VHD trucks in the United States, at the ISO14001 and ISO9001 certified New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia. Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland.