Vander Haag's has been in the business of recycling parts for over 80 years. We are proud to have a positive impact on the environment by reducing the amount of parts that would, under normal circumstances, end up in landfills. In 2018, we reused 17,731,425.5 pounds of parts. Note, this number does not include scrap, only the parts that were reused by you, our loyal customers. We recently added a real-time counter to the Vander Haag's website on the homepage that will allow visitors to see how many pounds of parts we have recycled year-to-date. Not only are we having a positive impact on the environment, but we are also helping truck owners save money.
The average yearly cost of operating a commercial truck is approximately $180,000. These expenses include fuel, driver salaries, insurance, repairs/maintenance, permits, and toll fees. The average truck driver is expected to travel between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week, based on the 70 hour maximum hour restriction over eight days. In one year, that is nearly 144,000 miles traveled in one truck alone. At this pace, parts will inevitably wear faster and need to be replaced. Purchasing quality recycled parts, as opposed to purchasing new parts, saves truck owners approximately 50% without sacrificing the life expectancy of the part. Vander Haag’s takes pride in the amount of quality inspected parts readily available for purchase. Due to Vander Haag’s improved processes and growth in recycled parts, our goal in 2019 is to recycle more parts than ever before.