Looking at freightliner trucks for sale, you might happen upon one you really like. So, you decide to go check it out, but it turns out that it is just the "tractor" part of the truck. There is nothing behind it.
You could do one of three things; buy it anyway; buy it and a trailer at the same time; or buy it now and buy a trailer later. You could also not buy anything at all, but that defeats the whole point to looking at used freightliner trucks for sale in the first place. To help you make a well-educated decision on what to buy and when, the following provides you with some insight to buying the "tractor" part of your truck as listed versus buying or not buying everything else.
Buy It and a Separate Trailer
Most of the time, these trucks are sold separately from their trailers because buyers work freelance hauling other companies' trailers, or because the buyers are shipping company owners who just need to add a tractor/truck to their fleets. Trying to find a complete tractor and trailer set for the price you want to spend, and from the exact same seller/dealer, is rare. More than likely, you will have to buy them separate for more money than you inteded to spend, if you buy both from the same dealer. However, you could just buy the truck itself, and then shop around for a trailer if you really need one.
Finding a "Matching Set"
While it is not impossible to find a tractor and trailer set, it means that you will have to let this particular truck go to someone else. You will have to keep looking, and looking everywhere you possibly can look. If you do find a complete set (i.e., truck and trailer), there is a very good chance that it will still cost more than what you had hoped to spend. You might be able to talk the seller down a bit, but it probably will not be more than a few grand.
On the flip side, if you were to go to an auction that specializes in selling used freight trucks and trailers, you might just score a complete truck set for the price you want to pay. In fact, it might even cost less because it is an auction. The one downside is that this approach is sort of hit or miss, since you never know what the auction inventory is until you get to the auction.
Buy the Truck Now, Invest in a Trailer Later
There is this assumption that when you buy a truck, you MUST have the trailer too. That really only applies to shipping companies that are starting out. You can always buy a trailer later.
In fact, you could just as easily buy the truck you want now and wait to find out if you really need your own trailer for it. Then you can buy the trailer later if it turns out that you really do need the trailer. Doing it this way gives you a little wiggle room to pull together the money it will take to buy a trailer, alleviating your anxiety about having to buy both now when you do not have that kind of money available.
Do Not Buy the Truck, or Wait
It is exciting to buy a truck and trailer, but it can also wait. Impulse buys rarely work out for the buyer, anyway. A lot of used truck dealers will have sales on trucks at some point in the year. The one you want may be part of that sale, which would allow you to have enough to put down on a trailer or buy the trailer when the truck is on sale.
To learn more, contact a company like Arrow Truck Sales.
