Truck rentals up 9-14% in first half of June on low base and unlocking

Analysts attribute it to diesel price hike, caution of a long road to recovery

Truck rentals have risen sharply across key trunk routes in the past fortnight as states started unlocking in phases.  Helped by an increase in the factory output of most bulk goods and last year’s low base, freight rates--a proxy for economic activity--rose by an average 12 per cent, according to the Indian Foundation of Transport Research & Training (IFTRT), a New Delhi-based think tank.

After the IFTRT statement on Tuesday that truck rentals were up 9 to 14 per cent, senior fellow and coordinator SP Singh said,  “Though on a low base, this is the highest jump in the fortnightly rental