Truck purchases down, but capacity expansion sees uptick

(May 7, 2012) -- There doesn't appear to be any fear among carriers of a freight shortage anytime soon. though, the same can't be said about the drivers that will be required to haul it.

According to CK Commercial Vehicle Research's Q2 2012 Fleet Sentiment Report, a lack of drivers as well as higher fuel and insurance costs appears to be dampening carriers' enthusiasm to buy new power units.

Planned power unit orders (for the next 3 months) are down from last quarter and down from the same quarter last year.

While the majority of orders are replacements for aging equipment, the survey points to an increase in the number of fleets (40% of those placing orders) who say they are adding some capacity.

The lack of available professional drivers is holding many others back, however. More and more fleets report that a driver shortage is impacting operations.