With the New Year in full swing, it's time to look back at the trends that shaped Canada's construction industry in 2013 and and make predictions for the coming year. From mining and road building struggles to an upswing in forestry and oil and gas activity and Tier 4 engine adoption, there is a lot to cover.

Learn more about the issues that could impact your business in the next year by downloading our article "A Look Back and a View Forward," or reading it in the Dec. 23 issue of Equipment Journal.

For more than 30 years, Texas-based Swafford’s Landscape has been helping customers design the perfect outdoor space. With specialties including landscape, construction management and irrigation and drainage systems, Swafford’s Landscape must have the proper tools and vehicles on hand to complete its projects. When owner Mark Swafford needed an additional truck for his operations, he turned to IronPlanet, an online marketplace for buying and selling used heavy equipment.

“I had been looking for a pickup truck online and at physical auctions,” said Swafford. “When I saw the make and model that fit my needs on IronPlanet, a Ford F250 pickup, I didn’t hesitate to bid on the item.”

With the winter upon us, organizations should consider selling their idle equipment. Heavy equipment loses value over time, and if a piece of equipment is not put to work, it’s actually costing owners money. What are the advantages of moving equipment outside the local market and how can sellers get their equipment in front of buyers around the world? Find out more in the latest IronPlanet column, "Going Global: Moving Equipment Outside of Your Area" in the Dec. 2 issue of Equipment Journal.

“Eight Volvo 630's were sold in November 2013 with TruckPlanet. We considered selling at a physical auction but TruckPlanet made it easy to sell the units at their current location. This saved us the expense of transporting the trucks. The thorough inspection process, easy-to-navigate website and great customer service is much appreciated. Our sales representative worked diligently to ensure a fair market value sales price. In the end, this sale enabled us to successfully execute our disposition strategy. We look forward to selling more with TruckPlanet in the future.” – Frank Larance, Director of Equipment Sales and Asset Utilization, Swift Transportation

Transporting heavy equipment is a complex process. So why do individuals create an extra trip and transport equipment to physical auctions? A seller should consider the logistics of getting equipment to an auction site before hauling machines from their yard. There are unforeseen transport woes to consider and ways to reduce costs.

Check out the latest IronPlanet column in Equipment Journal, written by Jeff Cox Jr. from one of our transportation partners, VeriTread, here: On the Move- Transporting Heavy Equipment.

Pleasanton, Calif. – Oct. 15, 2013 – IronPlanet®, a leading online marketplace for used heavy equipment, will host a Caterpillar auction on Thursday, Oct. 17. The auction will include Caterpillar equipment from Gregory Poole Equipment Company in North Carolina.

The auction lineup features a 2010 Caterpillar 345DL Track Excavator, 2004 Caterpillar 966G Series III Wheel Loader, 2008 Caterpillar 420E 4x4 Backhoe Loader, 2006 Caterpillar D6N XL Crawler Tractor, 2003 Caterpillar 2000 Lee Boy 8500T Asphalt Paver and more.

With IronPlanet’s guaranteed inspection reports, buyers can purchase items with confidence. The online auction also allows buyers to bid conveniently from their own home, office or on the road using their PC, tablet or mobile phone. With dedicated customer service representatives standing by, buyers can receive assistance with anything from registration to bidding.

For more information about the truck auction, visit www.ironplanet.com.

IronPlanet Chairman & CEO Greg Owens will be speaking at this year’s prestigious International Construction Economic Forum (ICEF), which will take place from 20 to 22 November at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Greg will be discussing how the Internet is revolutionising the way to sell construction equipment. Ironplanet’s sellers, for example, are able to achieve more profitable sales through low transaction costs as well as better price realisations thanks to a global audience of buyers. For more details on the conference and Greg’s speech, take a look at the International Construction article here: http://www.khl.com/magazines/international-construction/detail/item87209/ICEF-speaker-to-examine-Internet-impact

“It comes down to the people. My IronPlanet representative is both intuitive and passionate about fulfilling my needs. I like the fact that with IronPlanet’s online model, I can set a reserve price for my listings, ensuring that if it sells, I recover what I have invested.” - Michael Loecke, Loecke Auction Service

It's no surprise that heavy equipment loses value over time. So why do many equipment owners allow their equipment yards to fill up with idle machines rather than maintaining an active fleet of equipment? As the economy continues to recover, it’s important for fleet managers to be smart about their inventory and cash flow and understand how they can best manage their company’s investments.

When assessing whether to keep equipment or sell it, organizations should consider several things. Franklin Langham, Vice President of Sales for IronPlanet explores these points in the Sept. 30 issue of Equipment Journal. Download the article here: Depreciation Dilemma: Managing Idle Equipment

Over time, auctions have evolved, including those for used heavy equipment. One reason the equipment auction industry is growing is due to the flexibility and accessibility of the Internet.

Have you considered the benefits of online used equipment auctions? Sue McGregor, IronPlanet's Managing Director Canada outlines the evolution of the auction industry and how online auctions help equipment buyers and sellers worldwide in the Sept. 9 issue of Equipment Journal. Download it here: Digital Disruption: The Evolution of Auctions (Sept. 2013)