Expect a strong first half of 2015 for fleet purchasing

CK Commercial Vehicle Research‘s Q4 2014 Fleet Sentiment Report, conducted in October, showed solid fleet purchasing plans for first half 2015 Class 8 deliveries. According to the report, the overall Q4 2014 FSR Buying Index of 109.5 is up 2% year over year. The index measures the number of fleets planning to place orders for trucks and trailers in the next three months as well as the expected volume of those orders.

While current purchase plans are strong, fleets continue to report that they cannot add any capacity due to lack of qualified drivers, reported CK Commercial Vehicle Research. The report continued, stating that just 1% of planned Class 8 orders reported in Q4 are designated for fleet growth, the rest being for replacement.

“Over and over we hear from the fleets reporting ‘we’d buy more equipment if we had more drivers.’ Most are in a good place financially with plenty of available freight but without drivers, additional trucks don’t make sense. Replacement demand for the time being remains strong,” said Chris Kemmer, consultant at CKCVR.

According to the report, Q4 survey respondents are positive about 2015 rating their expectations for next year an average 3.87 on a scale of 1-5.

Geotab Connect, HDAW, TMC, Work Truck Week—It's been a busy start to the year here at Fleet Equipment. From tires to tech, connectivity to components, there's a list of topics that we've covered as companies look to deliver new products throughout this year, and beyond.

What have been some of the key themes so far? If you guessed EVs, you'd be right... sort of. While the race to the electrified future is always top of mind when talking about industry developments, this year, another big "E" took center stage, and that is efficiency. Many companies seem to be focusing on improving current generation technology to make sure fleets can get the most out of the money they've invested in their trucks.