Freightliner salvage yards are great places to find replacement parts cheap for your truck. While you can find Freightliners at other medium-duty truck junkyards, there are a few exclusive Freightliner salvages. In the article below I will help you find a junkyard for Freightliner and give tips about finding parts and negotiating the sale of a junked truck. I’ll also share how the Freightliner salvage yards near me operate.
Map of Freightliner Salvage Yards Near Me
For “Freightliner salvage yards near me” or “Freightliner junkyards near me”, see the map below…
Freightliner salvos are few and far between. If you don’t have one nearby, you can also check medium duty salvages and big truck salvages. Many of these businesses have also moved online like C&H and there are eBay stores for Freightliner parts.
How the Freightliner Salvage Yards Near Me Work…
These salvages run just like any local business except with a business model of dealing in used truck parts. These businesses purchase junked trucks and then sell the functioning parts to make a profit. Some salvos offer self-service yards where customers pick parts and other places pull parts and sell them online or from a warehouse.
A Freightliner yard will specialize exclusively in Freightliner manufactured vehicles. You will though find them at other general auto junkyards and particularly at truck and heavy equipment junkyards.
How Do Trucks End Up in a Junkyard?…
Trucks will come to a salvo in a variety of ways. This includes commercial businesses, insurance companies, auctions, and private owners. Many will get junked because they have reached their end of life. Others will be junked because they were in an accident. One thing they all have in common is that the cost to repair is usually worth more than the vehicle.
There may be a few occasions when a driveable condition truck may hit the salvage yard. If a salvage can acquire a truck from a business liquidation sale or auction, then they may have a truck with better condition parts. Typically though in this kind of instance, they may try and flip the truck and auction themselves for a higher profit.
Freightliner Truck Junk Yard Layouts
In the Freightliner salvage yards near me, they have the trucks very organized. Mostly the trucks are arranged in rows and grouped according to the type of work they perform. Models and years though are mixed among the groups.
At a standard truck junkyard, you may not have such luck for an organization. Finding the year and model of the Freightliner you need can be a lot of walking around. The more organized the yard is, the easier your life will be scavenging for used parts.
My best advice is to just call these places or check to see if they have inventory posted online. It’s much easier to pick up the phone and ask. Most people who work at a junkyard know exactly what they have in the lot and what condition it is in. You can call and ask questions like: “Do you have a hood for a 2002 Freightliner’s M2 106”. What’s great is that if they don’t some folks know the model that uses the same part. Also, they may even direct you to another place to call who may have it.
How Does a Freightliner Salvage Yard Manage The Inventory
When a junk truck comes into the yard, the salvage needs to prep the truck first. Environmental regulations dictate that they drain and recycle hazardous fluids. This includes oil, gas, diesel, Freon, anti-freeze, etc. This is so that when the truck sits in the yard it won’t leak fluid and contaminate the local ground water.
Next, the salvage will dismantle the vehicle for the most valuable parts. They will pull the transmission, engine, starter, alternator, battery, hydraulic shafts, etc. Some may get sold directly online and parts like an engine or tranny may get rebuilt.
After that, the truck is fair game. A pick and pull self service yard will put the truck out. A full-service yard will continue to strip the truck of all the sellable pieces. Once a truck is done being stripped, what’s left will be sold for scrap metal.
Selling a Freightliner Truck to a Salvage Yard
Before you sell a Freightliner to a junkyard consider selling it independently. If you can sell the truck yourself you will make the most amount of money. While these trucks do have a lot of weight and have great scrap metal value, the difference in how much you will get selling it independently is significant. If you are committed to junking it then read on…
If the truck runs, then you should negotiate a higher payout above the scrap price. For a truck that doesn’t run, scrap price may be your best and only offer. You can try and make the case to get more if there are valuable parts that still work.
If you are ready to junk your truck, do the following:
- Remove all personal belongings
- Return the plates to your DMV, and cancel the insurance and registration (If you leave for Salvo to do it, they will charge you).
- Find your title. You will need it to sell the truck.
- Estimate the weight of your vehicle and look up the scrap value. This will help you know if you are getting a fair offer.
Your offer is likely going to be extremely low. The junkyard needs to obtain the vehicle for as cheap as possible so they can sell the parts for a profit. They also have a lot of administrative overhead they need to cover. Be ready to negotiate, provide pictures, and if the truck runs make sure you tell them.
Used Freightliner Truck Parts in Scrap Yards
When seeking reliable and cost-effective used Freightliner truck parts, one can explore scrap yards that specialize in salvaging heavy-duty vehicles. These yards play a pivotal role in recycling and repurposing components, offering an eco-friendly alternative for truck enthusiasts and companies alike. When embarking on the quest for specific parts, it is crucial to narrow down the search by company and date of manufacture to ensure compatibility.
Contacting the scrap yard directly for information about the availability of desired components is advisable. Detroit engines, renowned for their durability and performance in heavy-duty trucks, are often salvaged and can be found in these yards. For comprehensive and up-to-date details, reaching out to the scrap yard’s knowledgeable staff is key, to ensuring a successful venture into the world of used Freightliner truck parts.
Pros of Buying Used Parts
Salvage yards present the best opportunity to save money on replacement parts. You can find discounts in the range of 60% to 70% off buying new. You can get a truck battery for $25, a cab door for $90, and an alternator for $30. You may even be able to get a transmission in the sub $500 range.
You will find tons of parts for your Freightliner. First, you can find the basics like hoods, doors, tires, cabs, seats, transmissions, axles, exhausts, etc. On top of that though you can also get cab configurations, bodies, chassis-mounted equipment, flatbeds, roll-offs, dollies, beds, dumpers, etc.
The other thing I love is finding Freightliner manufacturers installed and assembled parts. This beats getting after market parts and gives you more assurance for fitment, In some cases for older trucks, the junkyard may be your only option for replacement parts anyway.
Cons of Buying Used Parts
Quality is the one big question market. The part is used, but how used? Since the nature of these beasts are to do heavy work, you should assume some wear and tear. Before you remove a part, thoroughly inspect it. After you remove a part inspect it again.
Freightliner Salvage Yards Near Me Conclusion
Replacing parts on Freightliner trucks is expensive and the salvage yard offers you an alternative way to source parts. You can get significant discounts on parts and may even find parts that are almost new/unused. While there aren’t very many exclusive yards for Freightliners, you will find these vacation vehicles at other truck junkyards as well. It’s best though to just call ahead and see if they have what you need first. That’s my experience from the Freightliner salvage yards near me.
