Sixty-eight percent of fleets say they plan to purchase power units in the next six months, according to CK Marketing and Communication's Q1 2004 Fleet Sentiment questionnaire.
Sixty percent also plan to buy trailer equipment during the same time period.
Chris Kemmer, author of the survey, said, “While 68% of fleets planning to buy power units is a good sign, the fact that an average of only 18% of the purchases is identified as added capacity would indicate to me that much of this activity is a direct result of the delayed purchases over the last few years rather than an abundance of optimism in the overall economy.
“Uncertainty about the effects of HOS (hours-of-service rules) may be playing a bit of a part also as a higher percentage of trailer purchases — 55% — are being reported as added-capacity units,” he said.
The survey polled 25 for-hire, private, and utility fleets operating an average of 380 power units. For more details, access www.ckkemmercomm.com.