Apparently the UK economy is booming.

Apparently the UK economy is booming. But is this reverberating into the UK used trucks market?

I’m sure, just like me, you are glued to the news everyday. And what’s in the papers lately? Well, in contrast to the doom and gloom we’ve witnessed since the market crash, reporters and politicians are talking about the bullish recovery of the UK economy, specifically the building industry (along with the severe housing shortage, of course!).

You don’t need to be a genius to put two and two together if you work in the industry. Increasing development opportunities should mean the UK used trucks market is opening up – after all what is going to transport the materials required for these constructions?

When I drive to London all I can see is cranes, scaffolding and infrastructural projects dotting the roads and railway systems. However, instead of the phone ringing off the hook with developers needing UK used trucks, such as DAF, of which I am one of the main suppliers, we’re not seeing much activity. In fact, for us at Global, the domestic market was not even so stagnant during the crash.

And that brings me to the question, “Why doesn’t this obvious boom trickle down to used commercial sales and bolster the UK used trucks market?” Goods must be sourced and supplied using both heavy and light commercial vehicles and the enquiries are there, but seeing that need translate into a sale is increasingly difficult. And why is that? Perhaps people are nervous and only want to buy new product? Perhaps they are waiting? I can’t see any coherent reasons personally, but am interested to hear your opinions…

Personally, I’ve been working in this industry for over 30 years and my family before that. It’s an archaic industry, we all know! It can, however, be a good one if we have the right stock and can deliver it to the right customer at the right time. With that in mind I’ve never experienced such a “slow-burn market” in the UK used trucks sphere.

Is this stint a widespread consensus? Or do we think it’s just a matter of time before all the running UK used trucks wear out. I predict an imminent opening when specifications will change based on load requirements with the onslaught of winter and the issue of having a good reliable truck will become increasingly important. Soon, the need to upgrade current stock will become an issue that cannot be ignored. 

What are your thoughts?