One-stop shop for artics
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INDEPENDENT DEALER Peter Hassan of Lympne,Kent-based Eurowise Truck and Van is selling artics in growing numbers. Typically the package will consist of a two to three-yearold tractor unit a Volvo FHI2 420XL, for instance, with a Globetrotter cab —married to a brand-new Schmitz Cargobull curtainsider or fridge trailer.
"We've got a good relationship with Schmitz Cargobull. and keep its trailers in stock," says Hassan. "From the customer's viewpoint it's a one-stop-shop, and it's cheaper than renting a trailer.
"They can't hand it back to the rental firm if they're short of work, but they get to enjoy the asset value.What's more, the trailer's running gear carries a six-year warranty."
So why don't more dealers sell complete rigs? "Probably because they take up so much space," Hassan replies, but trailers also demand a degree of specialisation that many used truck dealers simply don't have.
"To make things a bit easier for ourselves all the Schmitt. Cargobull trailers we sell are standard designs, and we don't get involved in second-hand trailers," he adds.
In terms of the used truck market in general. Hassan's biggest problem is getting hold of desirable stock:"We've very low at present, but we're expecting a lot of vehicles to come in. The trouble is that people are still having to wait a long time for new ones to he delivered, so they're hanging on to their existing trucks" In his opinion values are holding up well, and he doesn't expect them to decline in the foreseeable future.