LOUISVILLE, KY. Booms times are ahead for the truck making business, according to Joe McAleese, president & CEO of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, though much of the increased demand for heavy trucks is going to come from the “BRIC” nations, short for Brazil, Russia, India and China.
“From the doldrums of 2009, we started to see freight begin moving again in 2010, along with an uptick in consumer spending that’s provided the fundamentals for recovery in the trucking industry,” he said here at a press conference during the 2011 Mid-America Trucking Show. “Now, we’re in a ‘go-go’ period and I think we’re going to see very robust growth for the next 2 to 3 years.”
McAleese predicted that Class 8 truck build rates will increase 35% over 2010, though he stressed that build rates won’t approach the record levels set in 2006 when they exceeded 320,000 units.
“Likewise, we won’t see European truck build rates returning to the record levels that market set in 2008,” he added. “While this does not mean we won’t be entering a robust sales period, it does mean most of the big increases in demand will come from the BRIC nations, especially China, and not the more developed nations.”
