Considering the efficiency of second-hand trucks

How much more efficient are trucks on the second-hand market today?

A lot of attention has been placed on bringing new trucks to the road, with higher mpg and lower maintenance costs. However, with more truck fleets leveraging shorter truck lifecycles over the last several years, this trickle-down effect is making a positive impact on the second-hand market. Consider the following perspective from Fleet Advantage...

The following scenario is if a fleet company replaced 25 model year 2009 trucks with model year 2012 trucks:

• If you were getting 6 mpg (for 2009) you would have improved to 6.46 (for 2012) - compound annual growth rate of 2.5 percent. 
• 100,000 in miles driven per year is 16,666 gallons used vs. 15,479 gallons used.
• You would have saved 1,100 gallons of fuel per year per truck.
• At $3 per gallon of diesel last year on average ($3,561 in fuel savings per truck).
• If you replaced 25 trucks that is a savings of $89,000 (over the next three years you'd save $267,000 in fuel savings)
• Maintenance on truck years 5-7 would be 0.13 cents per mile (years 7-10 would be 0.21 cents per mile); 0.08 cents per mile in savings per truck which is $8,000 per truck is $600,000 on 25 trucks over three years during the next three years.
• $867,000 savings all up in upgrading those 25 trucks.
• $60,000 per truck investment (less the $30k trade on the used truck).
• $900 p/m payment on new truck; $600 p/m on older trucks.
• Ultimately paying an additional $100,000 in payments over the next three years, but saving $867,000 during that time frame.

Information provided by: Fleet Advantage