Signs of life in truck rentals
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• Signs that the truck rental market may be recovering emerged in news of Dawsongroup's return to profits for the first half of the year. The company made pre-tax profits of i1.97m, compared with a loss of £190,000 for the same period last year.
A 9% increase in turnover in short-term truck rentals for the first six months was a major factor in the recovery. In contrast,
• Dawsongroup's contract hire and new truck sales business continues at depressed levels, reflecting operators' reluctance to spend capital or make longterm commitments during the recession.
Ryder and BRS have both ex perienced similar upturns in the demand for short-term truck rentals.
Ryder group sales and marketing director Bill Gilliham says: "Since April there has been no let up."
Not only have Ryder's cornmercial rentals risen steadily but unlike Dawsongroup and BRS, its contract hire business has been growing fast, with a 25% increase in orders last year and a 20% increase this year.
BRS has added 600 vehicles to its 2,200-strong truck rental fleet in response to demand. David Owen, BRS director of market planning, says: "Truck rentals always react faster to any upturn or downturn."