Truck prices holding firm
Truck prices level at ProTruck Auctions after a strong January, and export demand from the African market emerge from the shadows of Eastern European. Prices at auction have levelled off after a strong start in January at ProTruck Auctions, following the drop in values during the last quarter of 2008.
"October, November, December 2008 is when the credit crunch really affected the industry, but there is confidence in the market now," says Charlie Wright, proprietor of ProTruck Auctions, based at Belton, Doncaster. January and February were good, he says, and March was excellent. At the end of last month, he had more than 590 items up for auction. "There is demand out there if the price is right," he says.
The 2003-registered Daf LF45 is a prime example of the market's increased confidence. It was trading at £2,300 before Christmas, but in the New Year it firmed up and held to £2,800. Wright reveals that the tipper market hasn't been that bad, either, with 2001-registered Daf 8x4s fetching between £8,500 and £10,000, whereas the new-shape models from 2002 make upwards of £13,000.
Export, a vital outlet at auction, has seen the emphasis shift from Eastern Europe, as the pound struggles with the Euro, to Africa. "Eastern Europeans are still coming over and buying bits, but not the volume. Africans like older technology that they can fix with a spanner and not a laptop," he says.
