Desperate fleets are turning to salvage yards looking for trucks and parts.

They are in business to make money .

And knowing what your inventory is worth , it very important if you want to stay in business and make a profit .

 

doh...i get that...i turned wrenches for many years, before i got into trucking. going to the boneyards, what we called JUNK YARDS back then for good used parts saves money for the customer.

i guess you didn't get what i meant, when i said that going to a JUNK YARD is not going to be a cheaper avenue for some parts, like the old, "supply and demand" scenario.

 

I’ve got 3 ancient trailers full of old truck parts ready to be pulled to any swap meet in the country. Problem is fuel prices, set up fees, and other travel expenses will probably make me break even.

The ebay parts biz petered out because it was costing more to ship then I could sell things for and bulky/heavy stuff was sold on a buyer pickup only basis and not many folks want to pay truck freight costs. Even shipping simple things like wheels or pallet size parts is a pain when buyers don’t like to pay for palletized freight. I Had one guy from upstate New York come down here with his reefer to pickup a rare early ‘80’s Western Star double bunk standup sleeper. The old Star he came down with had the same sleeper and he was going to take mine and graft it into his to make a retirement house for his wife to ride along. Another collector in Oregon had UPS Freight pickup an AutoCar cab and frame that I had separated and crated. Fun times getting them in a pup.

 

Parts at a junk yard are not ALWAYS. The cheapest and beat way to obtain a part , but every situation is different .

I know some junkyards that’s charge the same for a used part as you can buy a new part for .

 

And most salvage yards tend to employ people with poor social skills making them unpleasant to do business with .

 

There are many trucks that the insurance companies deemed a total loss because of the labor cost to repair them
Now with the price of new and used trucks as high as they are, or unavailable, that formula changes.

Look for lots of this stuff to get shipped to Mexico and repaired, and because the authorities there are not as "vigilant" about making sure the title brand of "salvage" stays on the title, comes back to the states and sold as a used truck with a nice paint job.

 

It varies depending on the state

in my state every vehicle that gets “totaled “ by the insurance companies gets issued a salvage title
If it’s really bad damage it gets a “non rebuildable/ parts only “ title

then depending on how bad the damage is , and what it takes to repair it , the car is then inspected by the state , and issued either a normal title or a “rebuilt “ title .

49 seconds on the carfax site will tell you if it’s ever been totaled .

anyone who buys a vehicle without running a carfax or the equivalent on a big truck , is taking a chance .

I have rebuilt several cars with salvage titles .
All of them were drivable and safe when I bought them at the insurance company auction .
Punctured radiator and blown air bags was the usual damage .

some airbags from a wrecked car and a new radiator new bumper and grill and off to the state inspection , so we could drive it for years , for very little money .
That’s how we put our kids through private schools ,
Driving previously totaled cars with salvage titles .


A minor accident that blows the airbags in a 7-12 ur old car will “total “ the car usually .

 

That is why I mentioned Mexico. Transferring vehicles between states is no longer effective in "washing" the title - eliminating the salvage status.
And theoretically it shouldn't happen between the US and Mexico. But I have little confidence in the enforcement down there....
Truck salvage operations are very different than automobiles.

 

Washing the title still doesn’t erase the carfax history

Once it’s wrecked , carfax knows it , about 98% of the time .

I’m assuming there is a similar business for big trucks like carfax ?