Long haul tractors are the easy ones. They run up and down highways, engine sits in its happy range, loads are steady. You see 700, 800k on one and that's honestly not much. We've sold tractors at that kind of mileage to buyers in West Africa who email us months later saying they're still getting the same fuel consumption and haven't touched anything.
Highway work is gentle. Vocational stuff isn't. A dump truck or a concrete mixer might only do 20 or 30k a year, but every one of those kilometers is a loaded cold start on a bumpy site. When a dumper hits 300k you're not really checking the odometer anymore, you're getting underneath looking at the frame, the rams, the gearbox that's been crunched into first gear ten thousand times a day. Tankers are in between, nice clean load, no shock, so 500, 600k isn't scary.
Engine and emissions. Same mileage truck, one with a proper diesel in it and one with something cheaper, they age totally different. And if you're looking at Euro 5 or Euro 6, just know the DPF and SCR stuff gets expensive when it goes wrong. Like really expensive. A low mileage Euro 6 with no service records makes me more nervous than a higher mileage Euro 3 that's been looked after. For the places most of our buyers are taking these trucks, the older simpler emissions actually make more sense. Local mechanics know them, parts are everywhere, you're not waiting three weeks for a sensor.
What I'd actually look at instead of the number. Service records, first. 600k km with a folder of receipts beats 200k with a blank notebook every time. Oil changed on schedule, gearbox flushed, that's the stuff. A rebuilt engine isn't a dirty word either, if it was done properly. I'd way rather that than a truck that's never been opened but also never been oiled on time. And paperwork. Title, invoice, export documents. Sounds boring but I've seen people fly in from overseas and realize they can't register what they bought because one paper was missing. Hotel bills, container fees, weeks of delay. Not worth saving time on.
Rough guide if you just want numbers. Tractors, under 600k is the easy buy, up to a million is fine if records are clean, past that you're negotiating hard and want to know who rebuilt the engine. Dumpers and mixers, under 200k is relaxed, 300-400k means get underneath and look close, past 400k you've got price leverage not a walk-away. Whatever you do, pay for an independent inspection. Three, four hundred bucks. Cheapest money you'll spend. We're out of Liangshan, we've been moving trucks and trailers for years, and the only advice that actually works is tell us where it's going and what it's doing and we'll tell you straight if the mileage makes sense. No point lying, you'll see it when you get there anyway.
