Donate a service truck and let the body go with it

Where donated service trucks come from

Mechanical, plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors. A service truck runs until the chassis gives up, and then the owner faces a choice between a repower, a new truck, or being done with it.

Oilfield, mining and utility outfits send mechanic trucks with cranes and compressors. Those are high-value units and the market for them is specific and serious.

Fleets send retired service trucks in batches. If you have several, group them on the form; one trip for three trucks is much cheaper than three trips.

Driven when it runs

A registered running service truck is driven to the sale, which is cheap and fast. We handle the driver and the insurance.

A truck that does not run goes on a rollback or a lowboy. Body weight matters here: a steel mechanic body with a crane and a compressor adds thousands of pounds over a bare chassis, and the trailer has to be sized for the real weight.

Empty the compartments of anything you want to keep, and tell us what is staying on the truck. Tools, a welder, a compressor, a crane, a tire changer. Anything bolted on is part of the sale unless you say otherwise.

What decides what a service truck brings

• Body maker and configuration. A Knapheide or Reading body in good shape is a known quantity to a buyer and it carries a real share of the value.
• Crane, compressor and welder. A working crane with a current inspection is often the single most valuable item on the truck. An onboard compressor and welder both add.
• Chassis and drivetrain. Four-wheel drive, a diesel engine and a known-good transmission all widen the market.
• Compartment and door condition. Rusted-through compartment floors and doors that will not latch come off the price.
• Rust. Frame, cab corners and rockers. On a truck that spent winters on salted roads, this is usually the deciding factor.

Makes and bodies we accept

Service trucks are searched by body maker and chassis together.

• Service and mechanic bodies: Knapheide, Reading, Stahl, Rugby, Palfinger, Douglass, Summit, Iowa Mold Tooling, Maintainer, Auto Crane, Warner, Harbor.
• Chassis: Ford F-250 through F-750, Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD through 5500HD, GMC Sierra, Ram 2500 through 5500, International CV and 4300, Freightliner M2, Isuzu NPR, Hino.
• Onboard equipment: Auto Crane, IMT, Stellar, Venturo and Liftmoore cranes, VMAC and Boss compressors, Miller and Lincoln welders.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own vehicle. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

A truck is a titled vehicle, so the title has to transfer. If it is lost, most states have a duplicate process and the state title rules page walks through yours. If it was financed, we need the lien release. A company-owned truck needs whoever signs to have authority to sign for the entity.

Giving Center sells the truck and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. A complete service truck with a working crane usually clears $5,000, which requires a qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B. That appraisal is your expense and your decision. Between $500 and $5,000, Section A applies and no appraisal is needed.

Almost every service truck is a business asset that has been depreciated. That makes a conversation with your accountant genuinely worth having before the pickup, because business property rules are not the same as personal donation rules.