Sales reflect glimmer of hope
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• Britain's haulage industry seems to be turning the corner after one of the worst recessions since the war.
April's truck sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are expected to show the first improvement in more than two years, and tractive units appear to be leading the recovery. Although the market is "bouncing about", confidence is returning, says ERF's Rod England, chairman of the SMMT's truck section: We are now going in the right direction," he believes.
Mike Mudie, chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation's truck committee, agrees that the revival in sales has started, but advises caution in treating it as an economic upswing.
"Because the recovery is starting from such a low base dealers won't see any benefits for a long time," he warns. "It'll be the end of the year before we reach 1990 levels, which themselves weren't that clever."
At last week's meeting of the RMI's truck committee, half the members said sales were increasing — but the other half reported that they were still falling, says Mudie.
"That's better than a few months ago, when everyone said they were going down."
In the used truck sector demand has been increasing for some months, particularly for later models, says analyst CAP Nationwide Motor Research, and there are indications of more orders for new trucks too.
"There is a strong feeling that what we are seeing is a very real start to the recovery process," says CAP senior editor Peter Jagger.
"Manufacturers in some cases are already increasing production and even recruiting additional staff," he says.
Commercial vehicle rental is also improving, he says: "Faced with an increase in work the first option for an operator with spare capacity is to hire a truck, perhaps while he considers a new vehicle as a more permanent measure. These reasons principally, together with a general air of greater confidence and optimism throughout all sectors of the industry, do seem to indicate that the corner has already been turned."