UK leasing grows
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• The number of commercial vehicles on rental in the United Kingdom exceeds 3,500 plus 32,700 light vans, according to the "best estimate" of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association statistical survey for 1985.
There were also an estimated 69,4(X) commercial vehicles and 81,700 light vans last year on contract hire/leasing/fleet management services agreements.
The association expects major growth in all major area of its business in 1986, especially contract hire.
The membership of the BVRLA has grown to 754; slightly fewer than half operate 25 vehicles or less and 62 more than 1,000 vehicles, but these figures include cars. By December this year, president Freddie Aldous told a press conference, leasing and rental organisations will own or operate over 900,000 vehicles, over 85 per cent of them from British-based manufacturers. "We believe we have the finest rental industry in the World," he said.
Aldous attacked the levy payments to the Road Transport Industry Training Board from which, he said, most members derive no benefit whatsoever.
"Payments by our members of a levy to the RTITB is nothing but an irrelevancy," he said. "The RTITB is an irrelevance — it cannot, and does not, produce anything for us as we are totally in control of our industry training, extensive training, and we urge the Government once again to review this situation and remove us from scope."
Other figures for the statistical survey for last year include: Commercial vehicles including tractive units and trailers available for hire from members increased by 2,697 (9.1 per cent) mainly in the contract hire/leasing/fleet management services area.
In members' commercial vehicle fleets, imported units increased from a share of 15.4 per cent in 1984 to 19.2, mainly from the EEC. Members have 11,895 trailers for hire.