Semis Shaping Up to be a Good Pre-Harvest Buy

Prices for used semis in agriculture are up about 25% over last year but supply is stable, according to Andy Campbell, TractorZoom director of insights. He said prices may continue to climb through the summer as the market reacts to tariffs and normalizes. 

“We saw a peak in April, after the major tariff announcement, because everyone was looking for trucks to transport goods while they were still available,” Campbell said. 

Normal price spikes on semis occur in the third and fourth quarters, with increased consumer demand for the holidays, and trucking companies looking for tax benefits at the end of the year. Campbell said he encourages farmers to think more like logistics coordinators when seeking good deals.

“Historically, lower auction values show up in late spring and early summer,” he said. “Also, in the fourth quarter, a lot of fleets pause buying to finalize their year-end financials; weather kicks up; and holiday goods have already been located to stores. So prices can dip, which is somewhat counterintuitive to farm auction cycles.”

Data collected by Tractor Zoom Pro shows last year’s sales peaked in March of 2025, followed by December, August, and June 2024.  

Jeff Vap, who owns TMJ Auctions in Nebraska, said he recommends taking advantage of opportunities to buy whenever they present themselves. 

“If there’s a need, just be watching to find one priced right for you and in a location you’re able to go get it,” he said. “Right now, freight companies are liquidating fleets or downsizing, and there’s more used units coming into the market.”

Recent Sales Data

The three biggest price drivers, Vap said, are brand, engine, and transmission. 

“You could have a Peterbilt with a Cummins engine in it that doesn’t bring as much as one with a Caterpillar engine in it,” he said. “Maybe one has a 13-speed transmission instead of a 15-speed. It’s making the combination that works best for you.”

A recent search of tractorhouse.com returned 522 auction results for model year 2022 and newer day cab semis. The highest sale price was $291,000, for a 2022 Kenworth W900L in Wisconsin with 30,410 miles. The lowest was $10,000, for a 2022 Volvo VNR42T300 in Indiana with 292,681 miles. The average sale price was $107,135. 

The most trucks sold were Kenworths, with 164, followed closely by Peterbilts, with 132. Next was Freightliner, with 85,The remainder were other brands, including Mack, Volvo, International, and Western Star.

Using the same search criteria, more sleeper cab trucks were sold at auction – 1,649 – with an average price of $93,179. The highest price was $390,000, for a 2024 Peterbilt 389 in Alabama with 37,661 miles. The low was $16,748, for a 2022 International LT in North Carolina with 259,150 miles. 

Again, Kenworth topped the manufacturer list with 421 sold, followed by Freightliner (380), Peterbilt (353), and Volvo (264). 

A truck’s age is another factor to consider. Tractor Zoom Pro shows large numbers of model year 2012–2017 used semis listed, and another spike in model years 2005–2007. Pricing follows a fairly standard pattern, with newer trucks fetching higher hammer prices, then decreasing with older model years. 

“Older trucks don’t require diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) or have electronic log books, so these are appealing to some farmers,” Campbell said. “I recently talked to a dealer who said that models older than the 2000s tend to be easier to work on because there are fewer electronics, no DEF, and more durability. Of course, that’s just one opinion, but I think those things do make a difference.”

Randy Janssen, a truck salesman for Truck Centers, Inc., a Freightliner/Western Star dealership with locations in the Midwest, said transmission type  — automatic vs. manual  — can also be a factor. He said 95% of new trucks coming through their dealership are automatic.

“Some people aren’t comfortable driving a manual transmission, so it depends on who you have available to help,” he said. “There’s not a huge price difference anymore, since a lot of the newer trucks are automatic.”

What to Look For

Vap said he believes the coveted farm truck is still a day cab, tandem-axle, pre-emissions unit. 

“If you have a farmer who is still using a normal straight dump truck, their first move is to go into a single-axle truck with a similar-size-capacity grain trailer,” he said. “Then, they move to a day cab with a thousand-bushel trailer. And then, once they’ve been at it awhile, they are looking for an inexpensive truck that can move grain.” 

It’s not uncommon for a used semi to have a half-million miles before coming onto a farm. That’s a lot of time for something to go wrong. Access to thorough maintenance records is a key factor in a used machine’s value, Campbell said. 

“It can be challenging for farmers because when they’re buying tractors or farm machinery, they have a lot of trusted people they can go to  — their dealers, auctioneers, maybe even the previous owner,” Campbell continued. “They know the history and where that tractor came from.

“With semis, trucking fleets may sell dozens at a time. The transparency and trust is lower, and it’s even more important to make sure you know as best you can what you’re buying.”

Janssen said it’s worth checking if an extended warranty is available for purchase on a late-model used truck. For example, he said he can offer up to seven years or 70,000 miles on some Western Star and Freightliner models. 

“Just take your VIN to a dealer and ask if they have any options for extended warranties,” he said. “I would highly recommend taking advantage of that, if it’s available.”

Campbell said he also encourages farmers to consider their comfort level with maintenance and general repairs. 

“When thinking about what brand to buy, think about how easy it will be for your farming operation to maintain, because there will always be something to do,” he said. “Having the capability to maintain and keep your semi running during the heavy seasons of harvest and grain delivery is important.”