SHERIDAN, WYOMING - April 14, 2026 - Sandhills Global, the Lincoln, Nebraska-based information processing company operating equipment marketplace platforms including Controller.com, MachineryTrader.com, and LiftsToday.com, has published its March 2026 market reports covering pre-owned aviation, commercial transportation, and construction equipment. The data signals diverging conditions across sectors: aviation inventory and asking prices fell year-over-year with mixed monthly trends, used semi-trailer values ticked upward despite broader truck market weakness and rising fuel costs, and used construction equipment inventory declined across most categories as assets migrated into rental fleets. For buyers, sellers, fleet operators, and asset managers active in these segments, the reports offer sector-specific pricing and supply signals with direct implications for procurement and disposition planning.
Aviation Market Signals
The March Sandhills Global aviation report, published April 6, found that inventory levels and asking prices for pre-owned jets, piston-single aircraft, and turboprop aircraft on Controller.com and other Sandhills platforms were lower than the same period last year. Monthly trends within the aviation segment were described as mixed, indicating the year-over-year decline is not uniform across aircraft types. For operators, brokers, and fleet managers active in pre-owned aviation, the combination of reduced inventory and lower asking prices may reflect softened demand or shifting supply-side dynamics, though the source does not specify a causal driver. Buyers seeking pre-owned aircraft face a compressed selection set alongside relatively more favorable pricing benchmarks compared to 2025 levels.
Business Impact
The divergence across all three sectors covered in Sandhills Global's March reports carries direct implications for procurement planning, asset management, and fleet strategy. In aviation, year-over-year pricing and inventory reduction signals a market recalibration that procurement teams and operators should factor into acquisition timing and budget assumptions. In the semi-trailer segment, upward price momentum occurring despite macro headwinds - including a softening broader truck market and rising fuel costs - indicates that trailer demand is holding independently of tractor market conditions, a distinction that matters for fleet operators managing mixed commercial vehicle portfolios. For construction equipment buyers and rental fleet managers, inventory contraction across most used machinery categories points to tightening secondary market supply and potentially higher costs for direct acquisition outside rental channels.
Semi-Trailer Market Resilience
According to the Sandhills Global transportation market report released April 6, used semi-trailer asking prices and auction values rose in March 2026 and are trending upward. This upward movement is occurring alongside negative pressure from a weaker overall truck market and rising fuel prices - factors that might ordinarily suppress demand across the broader commercial vehicle sector. The semi-trailer segment's divergence from truck market weakness suggests differentiated demand dynamics between trailer and tractor markets. Fleet operators planning asset mix adjustments or replacement cycles should account for these contrasting signals when determining procurement timing and secondary market exit strategies.
Construction Inventory and Rental Fleet Absorption
Sandhills Global's construction equipment report, published March 6, found that used machinery inventory on MachineryTrader.com, LiftsToday.com, and other Sandhills platforms is trending down across all equipment categories except forklifts. The company directly attributes the contraction to equipment being absorbed into rental fleets, reducing available supply for outright purchase on the secondary market. Forklifts represent the sole category where inventory did not follow the broader downward trend. For contractors, equipment dealers, and direct buyers, shrinking used inventory availability in most categories may translate into upward pricing pressure and extended procurement lead times for acquisitions outside rental channels. The rental fleet absorption pattern reflects a structural demand shift that affects dealer inventory depth and secondary market pricing dynamics.
Key facts:
- Pre-owned jet, piston-single, and turboprop inventory and asking prices on Controller.com were below year-ago levels as of March 2026
- Monthly aviation market trends were mixed across aircraft types despite the year-over-year decline
- Used semi-trailer asking prices and auction values rose in March 2026 and are trending upward
- Semi-trailer values are climbing despite a softer overall truck market and rising fuel prices
- Used construction equipment inventory is declining across all categories except forklifts on MachineryTrader.com and LiftsToday.com
- Sandhills Global attributes the construction inventory decline to equipment shifting into rental fleets