It's a buyer's market for used trucks these days, and the Internet is at least one reason why. The web is being populated with more and more sites that allow you to research specs, check out dealer inventories, and check prices.
Many of the sites out there belong to local dealers. They can be used for research purposes even if you don't plan on buying there. If you want to check on dealers near you, try searching for the dealership's name on the web.
We will only concern ourselves with national sites in this analysis. Here's what we found:

www.macktrucks.com/trkloc
You can sort through more than 1,000 listed trucks by year, make and model, vehicle type (cab & chassis, van, etc.), mileage, sleeper (in inches), wheel base, rear axle rating, engine, horsepower, transmission and transmission speed. However, there were no photos; you must contact Mack to find out where the truck is. To do that online, you must fill out a web form including the stock number of the truck you're interested in. Mack does not disclose asking prices for listed trucks.
www.intutc.com
This is the used truck site for Navistar International (www.navistar.com). It's broken down into 16 used truck center locations. However, you can also use a search function to sort by maker, model, body style, year, engine maker, engine model, horse power, transmission maker, rear axle maker and suspension maker, as well as location by state. Many of the more than 2,800 listings include large photos, which makes browsing fun. For additional information, you phone the used truck center in possession of the truck. The asking prices for trucks are not shown.
www.selectrucks.com
This site for Freightliner and Sterling used trucks has no search function. You can click on "specials" to see 20 thumbnail photos of featured trucks and click each image for details and a
slightly larger photo. But any more information, including the location of the specific used truck, you must contact a Selectruck Center or Freightliner dealer. An interactive map helps find one in your area. Asking prices are not listed.
www.paccar.com
Under the heading "used truck locator" you'll find more than 4,000 vehicles you can sort through by specific dealer, make, model, year, mileage, price, vehicle type (tractor, truck), body type (dump, van, etc.), sleeper size, engine, horsepower, transmission, rear axle
capacity, suspension type and class (conventional, cabover). Click on a particular listing for specs and a photo, if available. Click on the dealer code for the dealer's address, phone and who to ask for. You can also reach this attractive site using www.kenworth.com or www.peterbilt.com. While you can't search by price, prices are prominently noted on individual listings.
www.truckpaper.com
This site belongs to Sandhills Publishing's classified ad publication, the Truck Paper. You can fill out a search form or narrow your search by clicking through succeeding menus. Click on a category such as "cabover w/o sleepers," for instance, and you'll find a list of makes. Click on
your choice and you reach the individual listings, of which there are many thousands, many with big photos. You can also search by state and by price, a major convenience.
www.traderonline.com
"Big Trucks" is only one category on this site, which nevertheless contains thousands of truck listings. One recent improvement has been the addition of photos, not the biggest and best, perhaps, but decent pictures of the trucks in question. The ads come from Trader Publishing
Co. You can search by year, make, model, price, keyword (say, sleeper or Jake Brake), area code, state and/or region. This site shares at least some listings with Trader Publishing's trucking-specific site, www.allabouttrucks.com, but if there are any photos on allabouttrucks.com, none could be found in the first 200 or so listings.
www.truck-sales.com
A free service of the Internet Truckstop, you can browse by clicking on "search classified ads." Or you can narrow your search by choosing "heavy duty trucks" and clicking through
progressive pages. But with fewer than 50 listings, it may be easier to browse the individual ads which are placed by the sellers at no charge (go to www.truckstop.com). Ads run for 30 days, but without photos. Some listings include prices, some don't.
www.equipmentsearch.com
Trucks are just one category on this Canadian-based site where you can also shop for everything from truck trailers to railroad cars to farm machinery. Nevertheless, more than 2,000 trucks are listed, many with photos. "Quick search" parameters include truck type (city tractor, dump truck, etc.) and year. You can also choose "detailed search" for many more sorting options, including price. However, many listings simply say "call" in the price category.
www.arrowtruck.com
Arrow Truck Sales of Kansas City, MO, runs this site, which lists inventory from 17 Arrow dealers around the country. Photos, some quite large, are included, but no prices are given.
www.buyatruck.net
Search trucks by make, then look down the list for model and features. Some photos are available, and most -- but not all -- listings include prices.
www.computrucks.com
No pulldown menus or forms here. You click through succeeding pages, eliminating choices until you reach what you've come for. There is no breakdown by location, but each of nearly 1,200 listings includes the state and a photo when available. GM Truck Remarketing posts its
inventory here, but the site is not exclusively GM and asking prices are listed.
www.truckscan.com
You can search more than 4,000 items by maker, model, body style, year, engine maker, engine model, horse power, transmission maker, rear axle maker, suspension maker and location by state. Photos are included when available but prices are not.
www.truckfind.com
At Karmak Truckfind you can search more than 200 listings -- some with photos -- by type (highway tractor, city tractor, dump truck, etc.), make, model, year, new or used, region, state, max mileage, GVW rating, cab style (cabover, conventional) and sleeper (yes or no). Price is also a search parameter, but you must click to the detail level to see prices.
www.truckfinder.com
TruckMart International Inc. offers searches of three separate categories: tractors, trailers and straight trucks, most with photos. TruckMart offers an active agent for buyers. Called Bird-Dog Service, it will continue to look for your specs as trucks are listed and notify you
of a match.
www.trucks-unlimited.com
Search this site by make, model and other parameters, not including price. There is a space for price in the listings, but few contain figures. Also, most of the listings appear to come from a single dealership in Texas.
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