Are You Focused On The Beginning, But Not The End?

Purchasing a truck can be an exciting time, and there are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration. Choosing a truck, negotiating a fair price, securing financing, considering your warranty options are all very important decisions. But have you decided how long you plan to keep the truck, and how you intend to dispose of it when its productive life is done?

Why You Should Own And Operate Your Semi-Truck In The “Sweet Spot”

Most savvy fleets today are focused on what they call an “Operating Window”. They are very conscious of what they pay for a truck, but more than that, they are conscious of what it costs to operate that truck while they own it, and they give a lot of thought to when that ownership should end, and roll into a new or newer truck. In the case of a good used truck, it is wise to carefully consider when in that truck’s life you should buy it and operate it, and just as important, when you are going to get rid of it and replace it with a newer truck. 

This operating window is the “Sweet Spot” in the life of that truck. Generally speaking, it begins when a truck has depreciated to a point where it becomes affordable, but may still have relatively low miles, and maybe even still have some factory warranty remaining. Hopefully the price is reasonable, and you can add as much extended warranty as you can afford to buy. This is where your “Operating Window” begins. For the next period of time, you should be operating in the “Sweet Spot”. The truck is running well with a minimum of downtime, and your warranty is covering any major repairs that you may have. 

When To Sell Your Semi-Truck

At some point in your ownership of the truck, the warranty will expire, and maintenance costs will begin to spike up as the truck gets some miles and age on it. This is where you need to have an exit strategy. If you’ve not planned the term of your financing properly, you might find yourself to be “upside down” at this point. With proper planning, your payoff will be less than the value of your trade allowance, and you can roll some equity into the next truck to reduce the amount of the payments on that truck.

Ask your SelecTrucks salesman to help you structure your deal so that you can own and operate your truck in the “Sweet Spot”, and then plan an exit strategy that allows you to “Keep On Trucking!”

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