Truck Buying Guide

Buying a truck in Australia is part engineering decision, part paperwork and part money. Get the spec wrong and the truck works against you every day; skip a check and you can inherit someone else's finance debt or a defect notice. This guide walks through the whole process in order, and links to a detailed guide for each step.

1. Work out what the truck has to do

Start with the job, not the badge. Write down what you will carry or tow, typical and maximum loads, the roads you will run (city, highway, gravel, site work), daily distance, and who will drive it. Those answers set the body type, the axle configuration and the weight ratings you need. Our guide on how to choose the right truck turns them into a specification.

2. Understand weights and licences

Every truck has a GVM (gross vehicle mass: the most it may weigh loaded) and a GCM (gross combination mass: the most the truck plus trailer may weigh). Payload is GVM minus the truck's tare weight, so two trucks with the same GVM can carry quite different loads once the body is fitted. GVM also decides the licence your drivers need:

• Car (C) licence: up to 4.5 tonnes GVM.
• Light rigid (LR): over 4.5 t and up to 8 t GVM.
• Medium rigid (MR): over 8 t GVM with two axles.
• Heavy rigid (HR): three or more axles, and may tow a trailer of up to 9 t GVM.
• Heavy combination (HC): prime mover and semi-trailer, or a rigid towing a trailer over 9 t GVM.
• Multi-combination (MC): B-doubles and road trains.

3. Decide between new and used

New gives you warranty, the latest engines and safety systems, and predictable costs, at a higher price and with the steepest depreciation in the first years. Used gives you more truck for the money and faster delivery, with more risk. See new vs used trucks for a side-by-side comparison.

4. Set a budget for the whole life of the truck

The purchase price is only the start. Fuel, tyres, servicing, registration, insurance and finance costs often add up to more than the truck itself over the years you own it. Our truck cost guide and truck running costs guide show how to estimate them, and the truck finance guide explains chattel mortgages, leases and hire purchase.

5. Shortlist and compare

Search by truck type, make and location, and compare like with like: year, kilometres or engine hours, engine and transmission, GVM, body, and service history. If you are weighing up brands, read our truck brands comparison, and for specific jobs see the prime mover and tipper truck buying guides.

6. Inspect before you pay

Look at the truck in person, or pay an independent heavy vehicle mechanic to inspect it, and take a test drive loaded if you can. Our step-by-step guide on how to inspect a used truck and the printable truck buying checklist cover what to look at.

7. Do the paperwork checks

• PPSR search. Search the truck's VIN on the Personal Property Securities Register at ppsr.gov.au. It shows whether money is owed against the truck, and whether it is recorded as stolen or written off. If finance is owing and is not paid out at settlement, the lender may be able to repossess the truck from you.
• Registration and roadworthy. Rules differ by state: Victoria requires a roadworthy certificate to transfer a used vehicle's registration, Queensland requires a safety certificate or, for most heavy vehicles, a certificate of inspection, and other states rely mainly on registration inspections. Our used truck buying guide summarises each state.
• Seller identity. Check that the seller's name matches the registration papers, and for a dealer, that the business is real and licensed where required.

8. Settle safely and keep it running

Pay by a traceable method once the checks are done, get a written receipt showing the VIN, price and both parties, and transfer the registration promptly. Then protect your investment with a sensible maintenance routine: see our truck maintenance tips.