News

Truck registrations have recovered from the uncertainty caused by the introduction of Euro-4 engines and digital tachographs 18 months ago, boosting confidence in the truck manufacturing market. The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that registrations of all trucks increased by 58.2% in February compared with the same period last year.

The biggest increase was in registrations of two-axle  artics, which rose to 188 - up 121.2% on February 2007. However, rigids and three-axle truck registrations also increased markedly. Heavy and light vans also saw registration increases, with just medium-sized vans showing a fall from February last year - down 18.5% to 1,734.

Daf Trucks leads the manufacturer's league table for February with 905 vehicles sold, and sales director Tony Pain says that although the percentages look high, they probably represent an increase of between 5-10% over the long term. "We are seeing a recovery to normal levels," he adds. "The real issue is that last year in January and February [registrations were] very, very low and it was at about the bottom of where the market went to in three or four years. We are comparing with a very low level."

Pain adds that nervousness in the UK economy is not yet affecting the truck manufacturing market: "We are still talking about growth in the transport  world we are recovering. The consumer end of the market maybe has slowed, but capital equipment business has grown quite strongly. The question is how long it can be sustained." An SMMT spokesman says: "People have every right to be cautious, for sure, but we don't think it's quite the doom and gloom everyone is making out."