Modest uptick in equipment interest: survey

COLUMBUS, Ohio — More fleets plan on buying new equipment than they did earlier in the year, market research firm CK Commercial Vehicle Research reports.

The firm’s Fleet Equipment Buying Index for Q2 2009 improved to 93.3 from 75.8 in the first quarter.

The index is a simple measure of planned buying behavior of for-hire, private and government fleets over the next three months.

A lower reading indicates that fewer fleets are planning to purchase equipment while a higher reading indicates that more are planning to purchase equipment.

In April 2009, 48 percent of fleet respondents planned to place orders for power units in the next three months and 38 percent planned to place orders for trailers in that time period.

In the previous quarter 44 percent planned power unit purchases and only 30 percent planned to buy trailers.

However, while there was an increase in the number of respondents who planned to place equipment orders, the size of those orders remain weak.