Is the Secondary Market Behind the Times?

There is a subject that always comes up when purchasing a new truck. This subject is “What will the residual value of the truck be when you’re ready to trade it in?”.  

There are many efficient components that are often rejected by the first purchaser of a truck, due to the fact that the secondary market has not yet adopted or accepted these components. The irony of this subject is that in most cases, if it was good for the original owner, it will also prove beneficial to the secondary market.  

For example, let's take a look at my current Cascadia. My current Freightliner is equipped with an automated manual transmission, Hendrickson OPTIMAAX 6x2 liftable pusher axle, and Michelin wide-base single tires. All three of these items contribute to the extraordinary 10.45 mpg average that I have recorded for the last 90 days. Yet, many people in the secondary market will scoff and reject many of these three fuel-efficient components. What I don't understand is, why the secondary market is so slow to adopt these components, which would lower their fuel expense. Fuel, after all, is typically the number two expense in operating a truck. The number one cost of operating a truck is generally a driver's compensation.  

A truck like my current 2022 Cascadia is always going to be a highway-based unit and will probably never end up being a truck used in logging, farm fields, or pulling a dump trailer at a job site. It seems as though more time needs to be dedicated to educating the secondary market as to the benefits of these fuel-efficient components.   

Some of these components, like the Hendrickson OPTIMAAX 6x2 liftable pusher axle, are not even that new of an idea. The heavy haul dump truck, along with a lot of other operations, for decades has been enjoying the benefits of only having the number of axles on the ground necessary to carry the load. Yet, for the on-highway linehaul segment of the industry, they seem to want to have 5 axles on the ground at all times under all conditions, no matter how great the benefits are clearly obtainable.

There are many benefits to utilizing the Hendrickson OPTIMAAX 6x2 liftable suspension. These benefits include, but are not limited to, improved fuel mileage, less tire wear, and reductions in tolls where the charge is based on how many axles are on the ground. With all these benefits, the secondary market still, more often than not, prefers to have trucks without these awesome components.  

I am a big believer that the liftable suspension is beneficial to my operation. If someone in the same segment of the industry as mine is looking into the secondary market and wants to reap these same benefits as I am, they should consider the Hendrickson OPTIMAAX 6x2 liftable pusher. Attached is a video that I worked on with Hendrickson. Take a look and let me know what you think. 

https://youtu.be/WLLlIRjOl8c

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