Britannia AuctionsCommercial vehicle and fleet auctions in Sunderland
Supplier fleets around the Washington car plant run on a rhythm set by the assembly line. Rigid lorries and curtainside trailers shuttle pressings and trim from the Pattinson and Armstrong estates to the plant several times a shift, and a van fleet follows behind with tooling and urgent parts. When a model programme ends or a supply contract moves, that whole fleet stops on the same day.
We sell those vehicles in an online timed auction. Each vehicle is photographed and described at your yard, bidding runs for a week or two, and buyers collect in an agreed window after the sale. Bidding is not limited to the area, and Washington, Gateshead, Durham and South Shields are close enough to come and look.
Port and offshore firms at Hylton Riverside and the Enterprise Park bring a different mix, mostly flatbeds, pickups, plant trailers and the odd tipper.
Shuttle lorries from the car plant supply chain
A tier one supplier's fleet is built for short loops. Rigids with tail lifts, curtainside trailers on drawbar or tractor unit, demountable bodies and the odd Luton have covered a few miles a day between the estate and the plant gate. Mileage is low for the age, but the bodywork has taken a lot of loading bay knocks, and buyers will want to see both facts in the catalogue.
That mix suits separate lots. A low mileage rigid is judged on its service history and its body. A curtainside trailer is judged on the plated test date and the state of the curtains rather than where it has been. A tractor unit with a full service file is the kind of lot a reserve belongs on.
The end of a model programme is usually known months ahead. Tell us when the last shift is and we plan the sale to close after it, with collection in the days that follow, so no vehicle is sold while it is still needed on the loop.
Flat estate roads and a viewing day that works
The Washington estates and Hylton Riverside were laid out for articulated traffic, and when we first visit we check what that means for your unit: the approach, the turning space, the standing and where a transporter could load three vans at once. The findings go in the catalogue so buyers know what to send, and where the yard suits it the sale runs from the seller's premises, because that is where the vehicles already are.
The A19 and the A1231 put the whole area within a short drive of the A1(M), so Durham, Peterlee and Chester-le-Street are in reach of a viewing day without crossing the city. That matters again in the collection window.
For a single van or a small batch at a site with no yard, the vehicles can be brought to our own premises and sold from there instead.
What these sales can include
- Panel vans
- Long wheelbase vans
- Luton box vans with tail lifts
- Tippers and dropside trucks
- Refrigerated vans
- Rigid lorries
- Tractor units
- Curtainside trailers
- Flatbed and skeletal trailers
- Minibuses and welfare vehicles
- Pickups and 4x4s
- Car derived vans
- Plant trailers
- Vehicle mounted equipment
How the sale runs
We photograph and describe each vehicle, record the mileage and note known faults. The vehicles are listed in an online timed auction and the catalogue is marketed to trade buyers, hauliers, owner drivers and export buyers. Bidders can inspect on a viewing day, usually at your yard or ours, and lots close in sequence on the sale date.
Lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, and buyers are expected to inspect before bidding. The buyer pays the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately on the buyer's invoice. Your charge is a separate commission, with any costs agreed in advance, deducted from the proceeds.
Reserves can be set on individual vehicles where there is a clear reason, such as a finance settlement figure.
The commercial vehicle and fleet auctions page covers when auction suits a fleet, paperwork that affects the price, livery and fleet kit, after the hammer.
Questions about selling in Sunderland
- Our supply contract at Washington ends when the current model stops. How far ahead should we book the sale?
Tell us as soon as the end date is fixed, even if it is months away. We can visit the yard, note what is on finance and agree which vehicles go in which sale. The catalogue is written close to the opening of bidding, so the lorries keep working until then. Bidding closes a few days after your last delivery and collection follows in the week after, which keeps the yard clear before the lease or the customer's site pass runs out. The exact dates depend on the number of lots and the access.
- We have vans fitted with racking and inverters for offshore maintenance crews. Does the fit out add anything?
Sometimes, though usually less than it cost. A van with sound racking and a working inverter saves an electrician or a service engineer the job of fitting it, and we photograph the load area so they can see what is there. A tired fit out does not do that, and it is worth an hour with a screwdriver to take it out before the viewing day. Either way the fit out is described in the listing rather than left for a bidder to guess at.
More questions about vehicles and fleets
Related services
Guides
- Selling a commercial vehicle fleet
Fleet sales turn on paperwork as much as on price. This guide covers the V5C, MOT and plating documents, clearing finance before listing, keys and livery, recording mileage and tachograph data, and how to defleet in batches while still trading.