In an annual survey conducted by PHH FirstFleet, a national provider of asset management and operations services to private truck fleets, fleet managers identified new issues and industry trends, truckinginfo.com reports. Most notably, while fuel costs and safety risks are still top concerns for America's private truck fleets, the majority of owners and managers are putting off new 2007 engines purchases and looking to outside industry consultants to help drive down operational costs. With the introduction of new 2007-year engine designs, 63 percent of fleet managers responding to the survey said they are putting off 2007 engine purchases. Forty-one percent said that they planned to postpone any new purchases until first quarter of 2007 as compared to 44 percent who said they planned to purchase in either the second or third quarter. In surveying fleet managers' 2006 orders for 2007 engines, the caution fleet managers exercised in the first quarter of 2007 was not as evident. While 62 percent of respondents ordered 2007 engines in the first quarter of 2006, only 52 percent ordered 2007 engines in the second quarter, which increased dramatically to 70 percent in the third quarter of 2006. Additional issues facing fleet management today include:
• Government compliance
• Emission controls and regulations
• 2007 engine performance
• Equipment and maintenance costs
• Escalating operating costs
• Service hours
For a full summary of the PHH FirstFleet National Survey of Fleet Managers, visit phhfirstfleet.com.
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