What To Check When Buying Used Semi-Trucks For Your Delivery Fleet
If you're looking to expand your semi-truck fleet for deliveries, you'll find more fleet trucks for sale. Many companies with large delivery fleets are in the process of upgrading. E-commerce giant Amazon has 100,000 electric trucks, a large fleet of branded trucks, and vans on order.
Semi-trucks bought for usage in last mile deliveries are more likely to meet your specifications. If well-serviced, the trucks could be in tip-top shape. Or the engines could be ready to fall out.
Following are key truck parts to check out when buying used semi-trucks for a delivery fleet.
Mileage
The average delivery truck is clocking more miles to make one- or two-day deliveries. If you're kicking new tires on the fleet truck, they will tell you nothing about the mileage of the truck. On the other hand, if the truck tires are original and show minor wear and tear, you have found a big rig that was well serviced and taken care of by its owner. Also consider the type of wheels on used fleet trucks. Single wide wheels, for instance, could improve fuel economy 7 percent over double wheels.
Axles and Suspensions
A wide variety of axle configurations and suspensions are available as big rigs reconfigure axles to lose weight and improve mileage to meet fuel economy standards. A 6x2 axle will save on fuel but show a lot of stress on one tire. While faster axle ratios could provide better performances if you have light payloads and lots of gearing, do some research to learn which type of axle and suspension will provide the smoothest and lowest mileage ride for the weight of your payloads.
Transmission
If you've ever been cut-off by an Uber Eats driver, you understand well the need for some delivery drivers to make super rapid deliveries to turn a profit. This means a lot of engine stops and starts and fast accelerations in the city to make the last mile delivery on time. How well the truck handled these speedy deliveries will depend on the transmission: manual or automatic.
More automatic semis are being sold, but if you're doing a lot of city and highway driving, higher gears and speed will provide you with more control over your journey. More homes with higher delivery demands are being built beyond city limits of windy and hilly roads.
Before making purchasing a used semi-truck, research DOT inspections, accidents, and warranties. Talk to reputable companies and visit http://www.arrowtruck.com/ for any questions.