According to data compiled by J.D. Power commercial truck senior analyst Chris Visser, depreciation accelerated in as 2015 came to a close.
“Devaluation of sleeper tractors at auction due to greatly increased supply has begun to infect the larger wholesale market,” Visser says. “Retail pricing decreased more than usual in the past two months, but not at a rate comparable to wholesale pricing.”
Visser says the robust supply of high-build-rate 2012 and newer sleeper tractors is here to stay, and he forecasts monthly retail depreciation in 2016 to look more like November and December 2015 than months prior.
Three year-old trucks brought 18 percent less money last month than in November on the wholesale market. Four year-old trucks brought 12 percent less and, Visser says, five year-old trucks brought 9 percent less. Since September, according to J.D. Power data, 3-5 year-old examples of the highest volume model trucks lost an average of 22 percent of their value.
Adjusted for mileage, three to five year-old daycabs sold at retail for an average of 8 percent less than sleeper trucks in 2015, although Visser notes model year 2012 trucks brought a more than 12 percent premium.
“The retail market still places a premium on a sleeper tractor up to seven years of age, all else being equal,” Visser says.
