This article kicks off Work Truck’s 2025 Remarketing Report Series, an in-depth look at how today’s market forces, economic shifts, and new technologies are reshaping used truck values and fleet resale strategies.

Read until the end for links to Parts 2-4!

Cautious Stability Defines 2025

If there’s one word the remarketing pros agree on to describe 2025, it’s balance. After years of unpredictable swings, prices, volumes, and buyer demand are leveling out, though not without new challenges.

“The 2025 remarketing market is navigating a mix of pressure and transition,” explained Amber Powell, director of vehicle management at Black Book. “Medium-duty resale values have dropped more than 20% year-to-date, nearly double the depreciation rate of 2024. Heavy-duty results are mixed: vocational trucks, especially construction models, are down close to 30%, while over-the-road tractors rebounded midyear with a 13% monthly jump that temporarily boosted values.”

That rebound didn’t happen in a vacuum. Powell pointed to the Cass Freight Index, which reported its 28th consecutive month of year-over-year declines in May, keeping spot and contract rates under pressure.

“Truck orders have also slumped, hitting a 16-year low in June,” she added. But amid that soft freight environment, a bright spot is emerging: electrification.

“Electrification has become one of the most important shifts in years. Twenty percent of new medium-duty sales and 12% of Class 7–8 sales are now battery-electric, supported by infrastructure investment and incentive programs,” Powell said, adding that this shift is creating both opportunities and uncertainties as the secondary market starts absorbing its first wave of used electric trucks.

Steady, but Not Stagnant

At Enterprise Mobility, Nate Lattimer, vice president of remarketing sales and operations North America, agreed that the rollercoaster is slowing down, in a good way. 

“The current climate has stabilized after a two-year correction, with prices down 3–5% year over year. The steepest drops have been in older, high-mileage units, while premium, low-mileage trucks continue to command strong values,” he noted.

Still, the market’s not without its wild cards. Andy Bell, corporate fleet strategy manager for Enterprise Fleet Management, said tariffs are a big one. 

“Tariff conversations have been challenging as it has been difficult to predict the impact on consumers; however, we expect price increases are coming, and there is a window of opportunity to cycle and take advantage of a strong used truck market and new truck pre-tariff pricing over the next few months,” Bell said.

Across the remarketing landscape, everyone seems to be saying the same thing: 2025 is a year of quiet recalibration. FLD’s Bill Bishop, senior vice president of sales and marketing, summed it up perfectly: “One trend we are seeing is that the remarketing space is more settled and comfortable than in the past few years, but acted in a similar manner in the first half of the year. A normal if somewhat boring first five months highlighted by consistent, though hardly over-the-top, demand and normalized depreciation.”

A Look Under the Hood: Class-by-Class

Bishop shared a more granular look at the market across classes, revealing a surprisingly consistent picture.

• Classes 1-2: Low availability of high-quality units and higher interest rates are dragging down sales, yet values remain 35% above 2019 levels.

• Classes 3-5: Prices often follow housing and employment trends, and while there wasn’t a major infrastructure bill this year, “we’re still seeing high demand for services that need these vehicles, so demand has been consistent, especially for units that don’t require a CDL,” Bishop explained.

• Class 6-7: High-quality vocational units continue to perform exceptionally well, carrying the strength of the market.

• Class 8: Sleeper cabs, once hard to give away, have crept up in price thanks to low-mileage availability and high interest rates, making new units cost-prohibitive.

“The appetite for used white metal remained solid, and since summer has continued in a positive direction,” Bishop noted. “We expect that trend to continue through the end of the year as long as nothing major happens on the world stage.”

From Uncertainty to Opportunity

At Fleet Street Remarketing, President Steve Bender has seen the same patterns play out among corporate fleet clients. 

“While 2024 was a fairly active year, the corporate fleet used car market was lighter than anticipated in 2025, largely because fleets have been holding on to vehicles longer,” Bender said. “I think we’ll see volumes increase in 2026 as fleets cautiously move into newer vehicles, which will be largely dependent on interest rates continuing to come down after the Fed’s long-awaited ¼-point cut in September.”

Interest rates remain the industry’s north star. 

“Prices have been what we expected and what I would say are ‘decent,’ with some minimal fluctuation — especially in the summer — which was as expected,” he added. “Unless we see some major developments economically or politically, things will likely stay that way as we move into 2026.”

Even with uncertainty, Bender said fleets have shown resilience. 

“The business of fleet has continued, and while it’s not an optimal environment, fleets have navigated it quite well given the unknowns,” he noted.

A Stabilized but Sensitive Market

What all four experts agree on is that 2025 feels more normal, but it’s a fragile normal. FLD predicts “continued consistency and stability in the used wholesale market through the end of 2025 and Q1 2026,” though global events, interest rate shifts, or geopolitical conflicts could shake that confidence.

FLD’s Bishop cautioned that even as 2025 steadies, pressures could mount again in the years ahead as new vehicle prices climb and availability tightens.

But, all acknowledge that remarketing is less about reacting and more about anticipating. The lesson for fleet managers? The storm may have passed, but the ground is still damp, so tread carefully, plan ahead, and remember that even a “boring” market can be a profitable one if you’re ready.

Keep Reading the 2025 Work Truck Remarketing Report Series

Explore the full series for more insights from fleet remarketing experts:

• Part 2: Fleet Replacement Strategy 2025: When to Hold and When to Fold:
  How fleets are rethinking replacement timing, using data to hit the resale sweet spot, and finding the right balance between old and new iron.

• Part 3: Digital Fleet Remarketing: How Tech and Transparency Build Buyer Confidence: 
  Discover how technology, transparency, and collaboration are reshaping remarketing success and why strong partnerships still drive the best results.

• Part 4: Fleet Remarketing Outlook 2026: EVs, Policy, and the Power of People: A look at how electrification, economic policy, and the people behind the wheel are shaping the future of fleet remarketing in 2026 and beyond.