News

As the cream of the UK road transport industry assembles at the NEC, the big talking point is delivery times. All the truck manufacturers are reporting extended lead times for their vehicle orders as the booming European truck market ensures the demand for new trucks continues to outstrip supply. Twenty-week lead times from order to delivery appear to be the current norm with  some manufacturers unable to fulfil orders for new trucks until next year.

Renault Trucks appears to be one of the hardest hit. Despite its factories around Europe increasing daily build rates from 175 to 275, the company is still quoting a delivery date of early 2008 for Kerax multi-wheelers ordered in the middle of April this year: “The whole of the industry appears to be in a similar situation,” says Renault Trucks sales and marketing director Bruce Allison. “The lead times depend on the vehicle ordered, Kerax will be the beginning of next year, tractors we are quoting November and for the light range we would be able to supply by July or August.”

Renault Truck UK managing director Laurent Farman expects these delays to be eradicated by the beginning of next year: “I think this is a blip,” he told the press at the CV Show. “All the manufacturers around Europe appear to have forecast much lower demand for new  trucks in 2007, when in fact the market is performing very strongly.” In the UK, Farman explained, the Renault Trucks order book is very healthy and with an average monthly order in the first quarter of 2007 at 245 the orders are now being received at virtually the same levels as they were in the first quarter of 2006.

Of the truck manufacturers we spoke to, Scania appears best positioned on lead times. According to business development manager Tim Pugh, V8-powered tractors can be delivered by September and all other models will be with customers by October.