Trucking Suppliers Report Surge in Demand

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OUISVILLE, Ky. — With more than half their 2004 truck production slots already accounted for and more orders piling up, top executives of two major original equipment manufacturers said the industry has entered an era of strong sales that could last for several years.

If the current pace of orders continues, it would create a market “like we have never seen before,” said Paul Vikner, chief executive officer of Mack Trucks, during the Mid-America Trucking Show here March 25-27.

Vikner and Rainer Schmueckle, CEO of Freightliner LLC, said their Class 8 production slots are filled through July, following four consecutive months of increases in orders, with both January’s and February’s intake topping 31,000 units.

Freightliner’s outlook is its “most optimistic in several years,” and the market “appears to be at the beginning of a very strong recovery. There is a lot of underlying demand,” Schmueckle said in an interview here with Transport Topics.

For the full story, see the April 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.