Understanding Total Cost of Ownership for Used Semi Trucks

Many truck buyers in the commercial vehicle industry analyze Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when investigating the type of truck they want to purchase. TCO consists of examining the costs of the truck throughout its life cycle, and includes purchase price, fuel, maintenance, warranty, downtime and resale value. An understanding of TCO analysis is vital to purchasers of used commercial trucks.

Just as new truck buyers want to lower their total cost of owning a truck, so do used truck buyers. In examining the potential purchase of a used semi truck, a buyer will look at the same criteria a new truck buyer reviews. And, as you might guess, used truck buyers end up purchasing for the same TCO benefits. Since SelecTrucks is part of Daimler Trucks North America, we have a deep understanding of where the majority of our used trucks are sourced from – the mega-fleets who buy from our sister brand, Freightliner.

Freightliner Trucks markets its Cascadia using its Real Cost of Ownership (RCO) analysis. RCO expands the traditional TCO analysis. RCO is a comprehensive consideration of both the hard and soft costs incurred over the lifetime of running a new or used commercial truck. Hard costs are the hard numbers you get by using a calculator—like monthly diesel expenses. This is typically what is found in Total Cost of Ownership calculations. But other factors—like driver comfort, safety and connectivity options—are more difficult to express in dollars and cents. These are the “soft” costs. And these real-life soft costs factor into the real cost of owning used trucks, as much as an increase in the price of tires.

So, what used semi truck should you be looking at in order to minimize your total or real cost of ownership? If your business is a long haul, highway operation, then a used Freightliner Cascadia sleeper truck might fit your bill perfectly. The Cascadia stands on six pillars of ownership: Driver Experience, Quality, Uptime, Connectivity, Fuel Efficiency and Safety. As an example, with the Cascadia’s aerodynamic design coupled with a Detroit engine, used semi truck owners can save . And if the Detroit DT12 transmission is part of the drivetrain, owners can expect to vastly improve their driving experience, along with more fuel savings, reducing their Real Cost of Ownership compared to other used truck options.

When looking to purchase a used semi truck with the goal of minimizing total cost of ownership, used truck buyers should look at factors such as truck model, mileage, previous maintenance records, fuel economy history, used truck warranty availability and used truck financing packages.

At SelecTrucks, our used semi trucks go through a thorough inspection and are DOT certified. We have industry-leading used truck warranties and 90-day buyer’s assurance to give you extra confidence. Your SelecTrucks salesperson can help you find a used semi truck that will minimize your Real Cost of Ownership.

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