TOOELE, Utah – Arguing that it’s time for OE’s to come up with creative ways to deal with the glut of used trucks on the market, Freightliner has unveiled a plan to make the used-truck buying experience much more similar to the new truck-buying experience.

“We must create more customers for used trucks and we must create more demand for late-model used trucks,” Freightliner president and CEO Jim Hebe told the trade press.

To make good on its aim, Freightliner has taken over a former U.S. Army facility in Tooele, Utah, and will use the 65,000-square-foot site to refurbish late-model used trucks for resale. The refurbishing will include the replacement of many components most often associated with downtime related failures in used trucks, as well as a shiny new interior and exterior appearance. Freightliner will refurbish the used trucks with new tires, new belts and coolant hoses, new batteries, new rear brakes (drums and shoes), a new remanufactured starter and alternator and new powertrain fluids and filters.

Freightliner also plans to make the buying experience for the refurbished trucks similar to the new-truck buying experience by allowing buyers to choose from a range of optional mechanical features such as a remanufactured 13-speed overdrive transmission, new clutch, new air slide fifth wheel or new engine brake. And Freightliner will re-rate engines up to the maximum horsepower that drivetrains will allow.

The remanufactured trucks will also be given a spiffier appearance with a new interior package that will include new seat covers, new back and side panels, new ceiling panels, new sleeper curtains, new carpets and floor mats. All cabinets will be repainted. On the outside, cabs will be polished to the their original luster, the chassis repainted, the engine compartment cleaned, and all exposed aluminum polished to a bright shine. The trucks will also get a new grille and new chrome exhaust components. And buyers will also be able to spec a variety of options ranging from new vinyl graphics to stainless-clad aluminum bumpers.

Freightliner will back its refurbished product with a 36-month/250,000-mile powertrain warranty on major components and a front-to-back, 12-month/100,000-mile coverage on virtually all drivertrain components including the clutch, universal joints, seats, fuel injectors, turbo charger, air conditioning, compressor, fuel pump, water pump and several other components.

Hebe said used trucks that are three to four years old, with 350,000 to 400,000 miles on them, are what Freightliner is looking to send to the Tooele remanufacturing facility. The trucks coming out of it will be made available at participating Freightliner dealerships and at SelecTrucks Centers – North America’s largest used truck retailer, with 32 locations across North and Central America, including three in Canada.

The Tooele facility is geared to go far beyond refurbishing. It can also reconfigure used trucks to cab types that are popular in the current market. For example, the facility will convert Freightliner FLD 120 tractors with 48-inch Flat Top SleeperCabs into FLD Day Cabs by removing the integral sleeper portion of the cab, installing a Day Cab back skin and roof skin as well as a new exhaust package. The facility is also willing to take fleet trucks used in long-haul operations and convert them to daycabs that fleets can use in their regional operations.

The Tooele facility has been set up with a complete assembly line: incoming used trucks are put through a pressure wash, steam clean, inspection, component replacement, chassis paint, front-end alignment, interior fitting, cab paint, road test and final inspection.

Hebe told Truck News that if the concept works well in Tooele he would consider setting up a similar operation in Canada, perhaps near St. Thomas, Ont. n