There are few marketplaces with the adrenalin-pumped atmosphere as wholesale auto auctions – vehicles of every make, age and condition being eye-balled by anxious bidders looking for a bargain, either attending in person or watching online. People bid for various reasons – for resale, to repair and recondition, for export, to part out and for scrap value. The bidding is fast and furious, and informed buyers across the country settle baseline values for the used vehicle market.
Auctions are essential to recycling vehicles, not just used cars and light trucks, but all types of commercial vehicles and what are termed “toys” in the business – most anything on wheels from used boats on trailers to motorcycles, motorhomes, house trailers and the occasional lawn tractor.
There are two distinct types of auctions – rolling and salvage. At rolling auctions, most used vehicles drive through lanes, have clean titles and are sold for reuse. Rolling auctions also sell vehicles with branded titles – salvage, reconstructed, or theft recovery/stolen vehicles and these conditions are announced at time of sale. Due to the small number of branded vehicles at rolling auctions, not all vehicles are repairable and have clean titles. ...read more
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Recovering auto metals from the Joplin tornado
Nobody expected nor wanted the death and destruction created by the tornado that blasted through Joplin, Missouri this spring, but, as always, life and business goes on. In this major clean up effort there was and continues to be frenzied activity to recover metals.
“There are tons of people out there with pickup trucks, trailers, cars, vans – you name it – anything they can haul stuff in. The city opened up the right-of-way all around town, all of the easements. Any type of metal that is out on the city-owned property, people are allowed to pick it up and haul it in.” That’s how Jack Todd, owner of Acme Metals & Recycling described the scene in Joplin six weeks after the May 22 tornado passed through.
Based in Joplin, but luckily missed by the tornado, Acme is primarily involved in industrial recycling of all grades of ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal. Acme also provides demolition, plant dismantling and container services to recover metals. In cooperation with Commodity Resources of New England, Inc., Acme recycles thousands of tons of scrap metal and waste paper each year. ...read more