According to CK Commercial Vehicle Research (CKCVR), its third-quarter Fleet Sentiment Report’s (FSR) Equipment Buying Index jumped from the previous quarter to reach 90.2-- the index’s best reading in two years. Per the 3Q report, 45.1% of the participants plan to place orders for medium- and heavy-duty power units in the next three months with 43.1% planning trailer orders in the same time frame.
The company said its FSR Buying Index is a “simple measure of planned buying behavior of for-hire, private and government fleets responding to the CKCVR Fleet Sentiment quarterly questionnaire.” Fleets responding to the Q3 questionnaire operate in excess of 40,000 medium and heavy duty power units and 110,000 trailers.
“The number of fleets planning equipment purchases continues to improve quarter to quarter in 2010,” said Chris Kemmer of CKCVR. “In Q3 we again saw reduction in the number of parked vehicles reported, improved stated utilization rates and a closer alignment of available freight to haul and fleet capacity.
“The one measure which moderates our enthusiasm now is the average size of the planned orders, which fell below the 4-quarter moving average for both power units and trailers in Q3,” continued Kemmer. Acomplete analysis of responses is reported in the Fleet Sentiment Report (www.ckcvr.com/fleetsentiment), available to its subscribers.
CKCVR regularly polls their group of fleet advisors about equipment purchasing, operating and maintenance practices. The quarterly Fleet Sentiment survey includes questions about short and longer-term equipment buying plans, preferred OEM, new specs, current fleet capacity vs. freight demand, equipment utilization rates including the percent of parked vehicles, and current industry issues. Beginning in Q1 2010, engine technology choices will be reported as well.
CKCVR is a business of Columbus, OH-based CK Marketing & Communications. CKCVR noted it surveys “fleet advisors representing a mix of large, medium and small for-hire, private and government fleet operations.”
