The Hindu Business Line : Truck rentals recover after 5-month slide

New Delhi, Oct. 2 The truck rentals in September have recovered by 5-7.5 per cent on most of the trunk routes compared with 6-13 per cent drop recorded during the period from April to August of the current year, according to Indian Foundation for Transport Research and Training.

The rentals firmed up due to arrival of apple fruit season and improvement in sales of FMCG and various white goods in coming months.

Sluggishness

The kharif sowing for the current season has gone up, in acreage terms, by over 10 per cent and it will lead to extra movement of paddy, coarse grains, cotton and other cash crops and will sustain adequate availability of cargo from agriculture sector, according to the Foundation.

The rentals declined in the April-August period due to continuous decline in the automotive manufacturing sector, sluggishness in the small and medium scale manufacturing sector along with declined arrival of fruit and vegetables, poultry and live stock, lesser wheat procurement and somewhat lesser cargo.