Ford Will Now Certify Used Work Trucks and Vans — Even Ones It Didn't Build
Ford Pro Advantage launches October 5 at more than 700 commercial dealers, covering used trucks and vans from Transit to F-750 — and one tier accepts other brands.
Ford is taking its certified pre-owned playbook to the commercial side of the business. Ford Pro Advantage, which launches nationwide in the U.S. on October 5, will certify used trucks and vans from Class 1 through Class 7, from a Transit cargo van up to an F-750 dump truck. One of its two tiers will also accept vehicles built by other brands.
Ford calls the program an industry first for that weight range. It runs through more than 700 Ford Pro Commercial Vehicle Centers, the dealers that also sell the new Super Duty pickups we recently stacked up against the Silverado HD.
Two tiers, familiar names
The structure borrows heavily from Ford Blue Advantage, the company's retail CPO program, right down to the tier names and inspection counts.
- Gold Certified: Ford commercial vehicles only, a 172-point inspection, and a 7-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
- Blue Certified: Ford and non-Ford trucks and vans up to 9 years old and 150,000 miles, a 139-point inspection, and a 90-day comprehensive warranty.
Ford's announcement also pairs the Gold tier with a 5-year/80,000-mile figure. In the retail program, a similar threshold (up to six years and under 80,000 miles) is an eligibility cap rather than a warranty term, and Ford hasn't clarified how it works here. The commercial Blue tier is also slightly stricter than its retail twin, which takes vehicles up to 10 years old.
Both tiers add 24/7 commercial roadside assistance and a money-back guarantee. Ford hasn't published the return window for the commercial version; retail buyers get 14 days or 1,000 miles.
Inventory will center on two- to three-year-old trucks and vans with 30,000 to 70,000 miles, sourced through the dealer network and rental fleet partners. Chassis cabs and cutaways are eligible.
The real product is Ford Pro
The warranty gets a buyer in the door, but the bigger pitch is access to Ford Pro's service and finance operation: more than 4,300 Ford Mobile Service vans that handle routine work at job sites, nearly 100 Pro Elite service centers sized for bigger trucks, and commercial loans and leases through Ford Pro FinSimple.
That matters to Ford's bottom line. Ford Pro earned $1.7 billion in EBIT in the second quarter, more than the Ford Blue retail division, but that was down from $2.3 billion a year earlier as wholesales fell 13% to 372,000 units amid an aluminum supply disruption, according to Ford's quarterly filing. A certified used van is a potential service and financing customer for years. The Blue tier stretches that pitch to small businesses whose current trucks don't wear a blue oval.
The launch also lands during Ford's ACCELERATE event this week, part of a wider push aimed at trades and small businesses that has included projects like the Transit Ford built for disaster-response group Team Rubicon.
What Ford hasn't said
Ford hasn't disclosed how much certification adds to the price of a used work truck, how many vehicles will be available at launch, or whether the program will reach markets outside the U.S. Commercial Vehicle Centers are expected to have program details when sales begin October 5.
