Municipal truck sales first to rebound

The current U.S. economic slowdown will restrain demand for some medium- and heavy-duty specialty trucks, but strong sales of trucks that serve the basic needs of municipalities will help prevent significant loss of market share, according to Toronto-based marketing company Frost & Sullivan. "Some segments of the specialty truck market are not immediately affected by the cycles of the economy," said

Tim Parry

Nov. 21, 2001

"Some segments of the specialty truck market are not immediately affected by the cycles of the economy," said Frost & Sullivan analyst Alfonso Corredor. "The current downturn of the North American economy has not yet reduced demand for urban service trucks like refuse collectors, sweepers, sewer cleaners, firefighters and ambulances."

"A large portion of sales to municipalities and budgets are still strong," said Corredor. "National and local governments are still pouring a substantial amount of resources into replacements and increases of urban equipment."

Segments that will be most impacted are those that meet construction needs. Dumps, mixers and cranes could see lower demand in the short term. Nevertheless, all segments are expected to recover within a few years.