CV registrations won't recover until 2014
Truck registrations will continue plummeting until at least the second quarter of 2010, with a firm recovery unlikely before 2011, according to a report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
In addition, registrations may not approach former volumes until 2014.
The forecast blames a sharp fall in freight transport demand, particularly for household and luxury goods.
Rising operating costs, uncertainty on transport policy and a much weaker exchange rate are also constricting truck operators' willingness and ability to buy new vehicles at this time, the SMMT says.
It adds that the renewed rise in fuel costs is a further squeeze on all businesses' road transport costs.
Frequently downgraded sales and output expectations over the course of 2009 - and the recent dramatic decline in volumes - have prompted the admission that volumes may be stuck at exceptionally low levels for the next 12 to 18 months, while the medium-term outlook remains depressed.
