Survey paints a brighter picture
8th June 2011
New research from the Freight Transport Association reveals a patchy start to 2011 for transport operators, with activity levels varying considerably between industry sectors and from quarter to quarter.
However, the FTA’s latest quarterly Transport Activity Survey shows an undercurrent of optimism with road freight activity expected to increase across all sectors.
“The growth in domestic road freight was generally weaker than expected for quarter one with the exceptions of the construction, public authority and waste disposal sectors, which all showed better than expected growth,” reports Bruce Goodhart of the FTA. “While our data points to a pretty depressed market still, some comfort can be found in our respondents’ optimism that growth is just round the corner. With operating costs having risen at twice the rate of inflation and the number of insolvencies having increased by a third on the previous quarter, this is surely a welcome sign.”
Operators are having to begin investing again as short-term measures to extend vehicle replacement cycles work through and fleet replacement becomes necessary to avoid higher maintenance costs and increased downtime, the report adds.