Schmueckle Says Fleet Demand Is Outpacing Truck Production
ANOVER, Germany — Demand for new heavy-duty trucks in North America has grown to 300,000 units for this year, but supply shortages and production constraints will limit sales by truck makers to no more than 250,000, according to Rainer Schmueckle, chief executive officer of Freightliner LLC.
He told Transport Topics that demand during 2005 would also be for around 300,000 vehicles, but that those same constraints — led by steel supply problems and factories operating at full capacity — would cap sales at no more than 270,000 next year.
And while most analysts have been reporting that burgeoning Class 8 trucks sales primarily represent fleets replacing aging vehicles, Schmueckle said, “We are seeing some [truck buyers] adding to capacity. Individual customers have begun to add capacity, but at a small rate.”
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