Used Trucks for Sale in South Africa

Why South African Buyers Import Used Trucks from China

The South African market for second hand trucks for sale is crowded — local auctions, repossessed fleet units, ex-mine tippers — but the supply of clean, well-priced heavy trucks rarely keeps up with demand from contractors and transporters. Importing direct from China closes that gap.

• Price. Truck prices in South Africa for a refurbished European tipper sit well above what a comparable used HOWO 6×4 tipper costs landed in Durban. For a contractor building out a fleet of five or six units, that difference funds an extra truck.
• Parts and mechanics. HOWO (WD615) and SHACMAN (Weichai WP10) engines have a real parts footprint in South Africa — Gauteng, Durban, and the Cape all have suppliers stocking filters, liners, and injectors. You are not grounding a truck for a month waiting on a part.
• Terrain match. These trucks were built for China's rough rural construction roads. That hardened chassis and 12R22.5 tyre setup transfers cleanly to mine haul roads, gravel, and the load-heavy aggregate runs common across South Africa.
• RHD from the same yard. South Africa drives on the left, so right-hand drive is non-negotiable. We convert in-house before shipping — not a cosmetic swap.

For the full national picture across types and brands, our main used trucks for sale hub lists every category we export.

What Sells in South Africa: Tippers, Tractors and Lorries

Three categories drive most of the enquiries we get from South African buyers:

• Tipper / dump trucks. The volume seller. HOWO 371hp 8×4 tippers for quarry and mine work; SHACMAN F3000 6×4 tippers for road construction and aggregate haulage. See the dedicated used dump trucks for sale in South Africa page.
• Tractor units (truck-tractors). Single and tandem-axle prime movers for the long-haul corridors out of Durban and Gauteng. HOWO A7 and SHACMAN X3000 tractors pair with local or imported trailers — see used trailer trucks for sale in South Africa.
• Tanker lorries. Water bowsers for mines and construction, fuel and oil tankers for distribution. Detail on the used tanker trucks for sale in South Africa page.

We also get steady demand for crane trucks — a crane truck for sale in South Africa for site lifting and infrastructure work is a recurring request, usually a truck-mounted boom on a HOWO or SHACMAN chassis. Whatever the body, the chassis and drivetrain underneath come from the same proven Chinese platforms.

If you are still deciding on configuration, the used dump trucks hub breaks down 6×4 versus 8×4, tonnage versus cube, and U-body versus square body.

RHD Conversion: What It Actually Involves

Most Chinese trucks leave the factory in left-hand drive, because that is how China and most of our export markets run. South Africa requires right-hand drive, so this is the single most important thing to verify before you pay anyone — local or overseas.

A proper RHD conversion moves the steering column, the pedal box (clutch, brake, accelerator linkage), and the instrument cluster to the right side, and re-routes the steering linkage and brake lines accordingly. It is a mechanical job, not a dashboard reshuffle. We do it in-house and road-test the truck loaded and unloaded before sign-off, then photograph the converted cab so you can see it before the container is sealed.

Beware of "RHD" units where only the seat and wheel have been moved but the pedal geometry is wrong — they fail roadworthy and they are dangerous. If a seller cannot show you photos of the converted steering column and pedal assembly, treat it as left-hand drive. For the full mechanical breakdown, read RHD vs LHD truck conversion explained.

Shipping CIF to Durban and Clearing Customs

Durban is the main gateway for vehicle imports into South Africa, with East London and Cape Town as alternatives depending on where your operation sits. We quote CIF — cost, insurance, and freight — to your named port, so you know the number landed before you commit. Transit from China to Durban typically runs around 20 to 30 days.

For clearance you will need the import paperwork in order: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and certificate of origin. Imported trucks also have to meet local roadworthy and homologation requirements before they can be registered for road use — we ship the documentation set to support that. We do not quote duties or local clearing fees as fixed numbers because they shift with vehicle value, age, and tariff classification; your clearing agent prices those against the specific unit.

The honest comparison is total landed cost, not CIF alone: CIF + port charges + duties + clearing + RHD verification. Run that full number against what a comparable local unit costs and the Chinese import usually still comes out ahead on price per working year. The step-by-step process is in our guide to importing used trucks to South Africa, and the Durban corridor logistics overlap with our shipping trucks to East Africa notes.

Chinese Trucks vs Powerstar, Scania and Isuzu

If you are searching for trucks in South Africa you have almost certainly priced Powerstar, Scania, and Isuzu — they are the brands South African transporters default to, and for good reason: established dealer networks and resale value. We are not going to pretend otherwise, and we do not sell those brands. What we sell is the Chinese alternative at the same payload class, and here is the honest comparison.

• Powerstar. Built in South Africa on Chinese-derived (Beiben/Mercedes-licensed) underpinnings, Powerstar tippers are popular locally. A used HOWO or SHACMAN 8×4 tipper covers the same quarry and mine duty at a lower acquisition cost, with the trade-off that you are importing rather than buying down the road.
• Scania. A premium long-haul and tipper brand with excellent durability and a premium price to match. For operators where cost per tonne-km is the deciding metric — not badge — a Chinese tractor or tipper does the work for materially less capital. We lay this out in Scania trucks vs Chinese trucks.
• Isuzu. Strong in the medium-duty and rigid segment in South Africa. For heavy 6×4 and 8×4 work, the HOWO and SHACMAN platforms compete directly on payload at a lower entry price.

The point is not that Chinese trucks beat these brands on everything — they do not. It is that for high-utilisation, cost-sensitive operations, the lower purchase price plus an established local parts network for HOWO and SHACMAN changes the math. Between the two Chinese brands themselves, our HOWO vs SHACMAN guide walks through which suits which job.

Inspection and Refurbishment Before Every Truck Ships

Buying a truck unseen across an ocean is where most import horror stories start. Our process is built to take that risk off the table:

1. Mechanical inspection — engine compression and oil pressure, gearbox, differentials, air brake system, steering, hydraulics on tippers.
2. Structural check — chassis rails, cross-member welds, and on dump trucks the body floor and hydraulic sub-frame.
3. Wear-item replacement — brake shoes, air dryer, hydraulic seals, wheel bearings where needed; oils and filters renewed.
4. RHD conversion and loaded road test.
5. Cab repaint to your colour, then pre-shipment photos and video sent to you before the container is sealed.

For a heavy 6×4 or 8×4 dump truck specifically, our used dump truck buying guide lists exactly what to verify before you release payment — useful whether you buy from us or anyone else. Browse current stock on the HOWO trucks and SHACMAN trucks brand pages.