Amid falling freight rates, truck makers may not see demand picking up

Pre-buying boost to sales may remain elusive as the slowdown grips several sectors

The sharp dip in car sales is not news to R S Bhasin, managing director, Janta Roadways, who has had 130 out of his 200 trucks in Chennai lying idle owing to the severe contraction in the passenger vehicle market. His company draws the bulk of its business from transporting cars to dealerships.

Passenger vehicle sales in India dropped 20.5 per cent in May, the steepest fall since 2001. Sales have been in a negative terrain for almost a year now. Bhasin doesn’t see any immediate respite from the slowdown that has sapped demand across consumer durables, packaged goods, and