CK Commercial Vehicle Research reports that its Fleet Equipment Buying Index for Q1 2009 declined 9% from Q4 2008 to a reading of 75.8 (Q1 2008 = 100). The index is a simple measure of planned buying behavior of for-hire, private and government fleets over the next three months. A lower reading indicates that fewer fleets are planning to purchase equipment while a higher reading indicates that more are planning to purchase equipment.
CKCVR regularly polls a group of fleet operators about their equipment purchasing and maintenance practices. In January 2009, 44% of respondents planned to place orders for power units in the next three months and only 30% planned to place orders for trailers in that time period.
In addition to those fleets that have no immediate plans to place orders for equipment, a number plan to sit on the sidelines throughout 2009. Complete survey results are reported in the 1Q 2009 Fleet Sentiment Report, a quarterly report of CK Commercial Vehicle Research.