The saying that “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” well applies to evaluating which truck brand is better.
For used trucks, a lot depends on the brand and strength of the particular model. However, how the former users maintained the vehicle, how long it was parked and out of use, and how long it has been flogged, and under what road conditions and environment would contribute much to how the truck would perform.
So, many times you hear truck owners or drivers tell you about how they have previously used a particular truck model, and how bad it performed and they have turned to this model which is now doing so well. And another truck owner / driver tells you the same thing from the opposite direction.
E.g., one had used a Mercedes and it was bad, and he’s now using a Scania, and it’s great. And another tells you he used a Scania and it was bad, and he’s now using a Mercedes and it’s great. But many of these narratives are from people who bought used trucks. In all, a lot depends on how the previous owners used and managed the trucks.
But we can get a better narrative when we buy varied brand new trucks, and use them all together within a fleet performing the same duties, under drivers with similar experience, driving style and supervision, then we can fairly grade the trucks.
The above haven been said, each truck brand, model and generations have their strengths and flaws, which can be verifiable when you start using them as brand new trucks, till about 10 to 15 years.
With that we can rate them on:
- Engine strength, durability, and ease of maintenance.
- Braking systems reliability.
- Chassis strength, load carrying capacity advantages.
- Cabin room
- Safety standard
- Fuel consumption
- Engine performance and speed.
- Availability of good maintenance and repairs personnel in your locality.
Coming back to buying fairly used trucks, we can look at parameters to take into consideration to get the best out of any model you choose to buy.
- Check for rust on the body and chassis
- Check for soot and thick smoke from the exhaust
- Check the electrical especially if it’s a post 2000 model
- Check the mileage and reason if the mileage its carrying looks authentic or reset, based on other visible signs of the vehicle.
- Ask 3 to 5 other vehicle owners and drivers using the particular brand and model that you want to buy of their experience with it
Another key point is to stick to 2 to 3 types of vehicle brands so that you can have a good learning curve in maintenance and repairs of the trucks, instead of dabbling into the use of 5 to 10 brands of trucks, which would make it difficult for you to grow your own pool of maintenance staff.
If you are a truck user or an owner in Africa, kindly share your experience.
Let’s hear about your truck brand and model, and what makes it tick. If you bought it brand new or fairly used, the practical steps you tool while buying, and how your truck has fared.
