Equipment Appraisal Blog | Understanding Machinery Appraisals

When you work in trucking, your equipment is your biggest investment, and at the same time, it's the one that tends to age the fastest and lose value. For that reason, appraising truck tractors and trailers is an important part of protecting those assets from loss due to theft, accidents and disasters. But what happens when your trucks are being valued by an outside company? Here's a quick look at the overall process and the nuances of tractor trailer appraisal.

Roll On: What's Involved in Appraising Truck Tractors and Trailers

Every day, tractor trailers cover hundreds of miles, adding up to hundreds of thousands of miles annually. Every minute, as these assets cover ground, their value is decreasing. How can you account for the change in value of this machinery to your insurance company, local tax assessor, finance company or court when you need to prove what your assets are actually worth?

Imagine a small trucking company that is run by a husband and wife team. During a divorce, the party who is leaving the business claims the value of the year-old equipment at purchase value, because it's the latest time that their tractor trailers were given value. But that doesn't account for the difference that several hundred thousand miles, accidents and damage that can happen while going down the road. When you have an equipment appraisal performed on your tractor trailers, it helps provide a third-party value for your machinery that is impartial to the proceedings.

Nobody likes dealing with property taxes, but when the same assessor is judging a wide range of assets including real estate, small cars, industrial equipment and semis, is it any wonder that sometimes they get things wrong? At the same time, tax assessment offices often demand that you bear the burden of proof when trying to fight a  bad tax assessment. Having an appraisal performed is one of the best ways to immediately prove value of a piece of equipment when an assessment is wrong.

When you have your semis and trailers appraised, the appraiser looks at a wide range of issues that can impact your equipment's value. Unlike other machinery which stays in the same location and often ages in very similar ways, your trucks and trailers are often sent to very different areas that can change how they age. By using a certified equipment appraiser who has trucking experience, you know that they're not going to provide the same value to a semi in pristine condition that has done long-haul work in the Midwest and a truck that has had significant damage in the East Coast's inner cities, even if their mileage is similar.

A good appraiser will also look at the reason the appraisal is needed. There's a big difference between appraising for the value of replacing a truck that is currently in service compared to the value of a semi when a partnership is being dissolved or an ancient tractor finally bites the dust. By appraising truck tractors and trailers for your business, you're protecting your company's bottom line. It ensures you have the documentation needed to process insurance claims, secure financing for expansion or upgrades to machinery, deal with tax assessment issues or work through purchasing or selling a logistics company. Make sure that you work with a certified equipment appraiser who has experience in trucking, shipping or logistics to ensure your appraisal is as accurate as possible.

When your company deals with serious machinery, it's important to know its value for insurance and tax purposes, right? Actually, there are a number of other reasons why appraising industrial equipment assets can help improve your company's situation, flexibility and adaptability in the marketplace. Here's a quick look at how you can use your equipment values to leverage everything your business has to offer, allowing you to improve your position in the market.

How appraising industrial equipment helps improve your company's bottom line

Whether you're processing materials, manufacturing products or otherwise have industrial equipment involved in your business, you know you've got a lot invested in your machinery. But is it really that important to know exactly what your equipment values are? After all, it's accounted for in your books through depreciation, which are based on commonly used tables, right?

Unfortunately, depreciation tables rarely provide an accurate representation of your equipment values. Why? Because they're an average amount of asset value loss over time, they tend to be overly generalized. Virtually every business has equipment that has been fully depreciated for years, yet that equipment continues to deliver value through its use on a regular basis. If that machinery were to suddenly fail, the business would suffer for its loss in terms of production, and an investment would need to be made in terms of new machinery, costing the company capital that it may have already allocated to other operations.

Most companies also have equipment that has failed before it has been completely depreciated. Whether it was a press that was expected to be used hard and abused to a certain extent for a particular project or machinery that has simply failed before it was fully depreciated, it will still show up on the books as having value, even though its only value is as scrap metal. These situations, where equipment has excess or lack of value in the books that doesn't represent real-world values, can create a false sense of your company's assets. This, in turn, can create serious problems when you use those bad figures for securing loans or as a basis for expanding the company's operations.

What about market conditions? When you depreciate a piece of equipment, you have an expectation that the depreciated value may reflect current market demand for that machinery. But when the market is growing, that equipment may be worth more than its depreciated value. This can be problematic when a piece of equipment fails and you base the replacement cost on the depreciated value of the equipment. When this happens and the market is strong, you may have a difficult time finding the machinery you need at the price you expect. Conversely, when the market is poor, you may have a hard time finding a buyer at a higher price point. Machinery appraisal helps provide you with an accurate assessment of the equipment's real value.

By taking the time for appraising industrial equipment, you can learn a great deal about your machinery's condition, performance and value. This, in turn, allows you to leverage that value and condition to your company's best possible benefit and growth. But how do you start the process of having your industrial machinery appraised? Start by finding a certified equipment appraiser who has experience with your industry's machinery. Certification ensures that the appraiser knows exactly how to determine your equipment's value for your specific situation.

When your world is your restaurant, your equipment is a vital part of keeping that world turning. Appraising restaurant equipment is a vital part of staying on top of your business' assets. But how does the appraisal process work with this type of machinery? By having a solid understanding of how the process works, you'll be able to better manage your restaurant's assets. Here's a quick overview of the process to help get you started.

What's involved when appraising restaurant equipment?

One of the first questions you'll often hear when trying to find an appraiser for your restaurant equipment is what is the reason for the appraisal? Many businesses don't understand why this is important, but depending on the situation, many appraisers are legally required to use particular types of appraisal methodologies. Typically this happens in a divorce, estate settlement or dissolution of a partnership where the court is involved in ensuring that both parties get a fair share of the profits.

Are you trying to find out the value because you've suffered an insurance loss? If you have equipment that required specific conditions to operate properly, such as water lines at a specific pressure, being bolted to the floor or similar factors that may need to be changed with the replacement or require significant work to remove, knowing the value of the equipment including the removal costs is important to ensure that your business is reimbursed for all the expenses related to the loss rather than just the cost to replace the machinery involved in the loss.

Another area of interest is whether the machinery is in good operating condition or if it has issues, such as a non-working burner, occasional leaks and similar problems. Because these issues can often limit the performance of the equipment in your restaurant, they can impact the overall value of the machinery, whether you're selling it or preparing your business for sale. When you work with an appraiser who has experience in the restaurant or food service business, they have a much better grasp of the equipment involved and how those factors can limit your production.

What about the equipment's expected useful lifespan? Because experienced restaurant equipment appraisers have extensive experience looking at a number of equipment options, they know the signs of failure for common models. If a piece of equipment is making a specific noise, the gears or belts have issues, it has signs of failing systems or similar issues, it's much easier for an appraiser to pin down the exact issue and determine how that will impact the equipment's useful lifespan. 

If you're considering using your restaurant equipment as collateral for a business loan for your restaurant, have you taken the time to have an appraisal performed to determine the machinery's equipment prior to signing the contract? Many financial institutions don't go to the depth and length of equipment values, because they work with a wide range of loans. Instead, the documentation is often written up with incorrect values that shortchange your company's true asset values.

Appraising restaurant equipment is a complex process and should be undertaken with the help of an experienced, certified appraiser. It's an important part of your business process because understanding how the process works can help you figure out how your assets change in value over their usable life. Make sure to work with an equipment appraiser who has experience in the restaurant industry.

When you work in construction, your machinery is a big part of your company's assets. But part of being a responsible business owner involves knowing the value of your assets. How do you determine how much your equipment is worth once it's gone into service? Here's a quick look at what happens when appraising construction equipment.

What happens when appraising construction equipment?

There are a number of different areas that an equipment appraiser considers when appraising your equipment, some of them not what you may consider when setting up an appointment to have your machinery appraised. 

• How old is the equipment? Though age isn't a solid indicator of performance, it can create a lower overall value as newer machinery has features that have become standard because they are very handy and help improve your rate of production. As an example, a miter saw with a laser cut indicator helps speed up cutting time, allowing your crew to get back to work on the project instead of lining up careful cuts one at a time.
• What is that model's performance history? Some models are known to have specific issues that can impact performance, lifespan or functionality. If there has been a remedy provided by the manufacturer to deal with a specific problem that has not been installed on your machinery, it can negatively impact your machinery's value.
• What features are available for that specific model? If you have a pickup to help haul materials and tools, does it have four wheel drive or a towing package that will improve its functionality on the job and improve its overall retail value? Added features and kits that improve functionality often improves overall equipment value.
• What condition is the equipment in? If it's in good shape and has been well maintained, your equipment may value much higher than you may expect. If, however, it is nearing the end of its expected useful lifespan, the value may be much lower than you'd expect. A good equipment appraiser will take a solid look at the equipment's workings to determine its condition.
• Are there signs that the equipment has been abused or neglected? If it's obvious that there are problems with the equipment, most people can pick up on it and would offer a lower value. But what if the equipment you're considering buying has had panels replaced or fluids changed to hide abuse or neglect? A good appraiser will catch issues like this.
• Are there receipts or maintenance logs available? Being able to prove the machinery has been well maintained proves it has not been abused or neglected, as above, and may help build value through the documentation. It also helps the appraiser determine what has been done on the machinery, whether it has been well maintained from the beginning or if it has had to be rehabilitated at some point.
• What is the industry or market like for reselling machinery? When the housing bubble burst and helped crash the economy, construction equipment wouldn't resell for very much, especially compared to a few years prior when the industry was booming and finding equipment was virtually impossible.

Appraising construction equipment can seem like a confusing process, but by understanding how that process works, you can have a better appreciation for how equipment values are determined. By knowing how the appraisal process works, you can leverage this information to your company's best interests.

When you're considering having your equipment values determined, you may hear the term USPAP Appraisal Standards tossed around. But what are these standards, how can they impact your valuation and why should you work with an equipment appraiser who is familiar with these standards? Here's a quick overview of the standard and how it impacts your machinery values.

What are USPAP Appraisal Standards and how can they impact your valuation?

When it comes to appraising real estate, property, intangible assets and business values, the Universal Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice provide a type of quality control to the process. It was established prior to the Savings & Loan Crisis in the late 80s and was then taken over by The Appraisal Foundation following the crisis. TAF is overseen by the Appraisal Subcommittee in Congress to ensure that artificial inflation of a valuation can't grow out of control again.

Since 2006, the standard has been updated every other year. This allows it to remain current with changes in the industry and new regulations. Though it's mainly used in the US, it's been adopted either in whole or partially by a large number of professional appraisal organizations in foreign countries. Though it controls the standard of how appraisals are performed, including requiring that the appraiser be familiar with and use the appropriate methodologies, it does not, in fact, require particular methodologies to be used.

There are a wide range of different certifications available that address the USPAP standards, dealing with a number of specialties. There are some that cover different aspects of real property, while others focus on federal government property appraisals. The Personal Property Appraiser certification is the specialty that deals most closely with machinery valuations. To meet the qualifications for this certification, the appraiser is required to remain in compliance with USPAP, have successfully completed 30 hours of college-level work from an accredited educational institution, have passed the 15-Hour Personal Property USPAP Course or a 45+ hour course and exam dealing with valuation practice, additional hours of coursework and many other qualifications. 

But how do you benefit when you choose to have an equipment appraiser use USPAP standards to appraiser your machinery? You'll know that the appraiser is well-educated and experienced in the appraisal process and can be counted on to provide you with a calculated appraisal report that is accurate and will be accepted in virtually all circles, including legal, insurance, financial and tax agency situations. You'll know that the appraiser has dedicated significant amounts of time to studying the standard to ensure that they remain in compliance with the USPAP and will be knowledgeable about any questions you may have about their practices and methodologies. You'll also know that you can count on their calculations to provide a solid figure for negotiations when you're planning on buying, selling or trading a piece of equipment, which in turn can help keep you from being taken advantage of.

By understanding the USPAP Appraisal Standards and how they impact your equipment valuation, you can gain a better understanding of how machinery is valued and what aspects can impact those values. When you're having your equipment appraised, using a certified appraiser who is familiar with the machinery in your industry and the appropriate USPAP standards is the best way to ensure your appraisal is as accurate as possible.