Amid increasing signs that recovery in the freight markets will be slow, FTR Associates has reduced its projection for 2010 North American production of Class 8 trucks by 12 percent. The reduction comes even as the market continues to stabilize and the outlook for 2009 remains unchanged.
“It will take a substantial improvement in freight demand to soak up the current significant fleet equipment surplus,” says Eric Starks, FTR president. “At the moment, demand for truck freight transport is still declining and is projected to bottom out in the fourth quarter. In our view, improvement sufficient to drive new equipment purchases will not occur until 2011.”
This information is contained in the July Flash Report, distributed to subscribers as part of FTR’s North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service. Contact Helen Lile at [email protected] or 888-988-1699, ext. 45 for more details.
FTR Associates’s U.S. Freight Model collects and analyzes all data likely to impact freight movement and is based on specific characteristics for more than 200 commodity groups. The Nashville, Ind.-based company’s forecast reports cover trucking and rail transportation and include demand analysis for commercial vehicle as well as railcar. Specially designed reports are offered to participants in both industries to cover specific needs. For more information, go to www.ftrassociates.net.
