Age of the Truck Fleet: Risks and Opportunities
In Spain, the average age of the transport vehicle fleet has become a constant concern. Data reveals that the tractor fleet is on average 14,3 years old, while semi-trailers are an alarming average of 23,5 years old. These numbers have a significant impact on technical inspections, where each truck presents, on average, almost three defects according to ITV data for 2021.
During that year, a total of 609.321 transport vehicles were subjected to the ITV lines, and of these, 28,89% of heavy trucks were rejected at the first inspection. In addition, 11,43% of vehicles that went to a second inspection were also rejected, which shows a clear need for improvements and repairs.
Digging deeper into the data reveals that lighting and signalling are the categories with the most defects, accounting for 26,2% of the total, followed by brakes with 20,3%. These systems are critical to road safety, so their poor condition represents a significant risk on the roads.
Other categories requiring urgent attention include engine and transmission (12,6% of the total), emissions (5,1%), identification (4,9%), and axles, wheels, tires and suspension (4,4%).
Despite the worrying situation, the age of the truck fleet also offers business opportunities for the aftermarket sector. Aftermarket operators can take advantage of the growth in registrations and the need for overhauls on older trucks to ensure operational and road safety.
In short, it is essential that aftermarket operators step up to ensure both truck operations and road safety.As the truck fleet ages, the future looks bright for both dealers and independent aftermarket players, who can take advantage of this situation to boost their businesses and provide solutions to problems detected during technical inspections.
Source: Truckind
