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DESPITE THE economic slump, lead times for tractor units are
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still stretching into next year, but the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says they may shrink in 2009.
The SMMT predicts the heavy chassis market will be stable in terms of registrations for the rest of this year as a result of the previous 18 months' orders, which had been running at 150% of manufacturer capacity.
"Orders do now appear to be dropping particularly in the construction sector." says SMMT commercial affairs manager Robin Dickeson. He believes lead times may return to "nearer average" (6-8 weeks) during 2009 as "backlogs reduce and supply and demand becomes better balanced".
Looking closely at the manufacturers shows this to be correct. At Iveco, for example, brand and communication director Nigel Emms points out that the Spanish market a large Iveco customer has fallen by nearly 60% ,which may have a knock-on effect on availability, but not this year as earlier orders are still being met.