European trailer output may top 200,000

Dec. 1, 2005
The latest edition of the European Truck-Trailer Report says that European heavy-goods trailer production may top 200,000 units by 2009, according to

The latest edition of the European Truck-Trailer Report says that European heavy-goods trailer production may top 200,000 units by 2009, according to a Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' news brief.

The main increase will involve nations in Central and Eastern Europe that are both buying and building more trailers than ever.

"There have been many relocation moves in response wages which are 25% of West German levels," says Jim Gibbins, one of the report's authors. "We show the key changes in product, marketing, sales, and ownership."

The report gives production and registration data for semi-trailers and drawbar trailers over the past five years by nation, together with a forecast of trailer sales for the next two years.

Gibbins says more intense competition from the biggest players in Europe and overcapacity will mean more rationalization as smaller firms fail to cope with the costs of increasingly tough legal requirements.

The 234-page European Truck-Trailer Report 2005 costs US $675 and comes with a CD-ROM. For full details, contact the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Halkin Street, London, SW1X 7DS, England; phone +44-0207-344-9222.