Truck rentals hold steady as logistics sector eyes festive demand: Shriram Mobility Bulletin
Truck rentals remained steady across key trunk routes.
POSTED BY:- Poonam S. Juthani
DT:-12/08/2026
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• Global market uncertainty continued to weigh on goods and vehicle demand.
• Poor monsoon rains significantly impacted agricultural freight movement.
• Diesel consumption surged as farmers increasingly relied on diesel pump sets amid water shortages.
• EV sales recorded strong growth.
• Flooding in parts of Gujarat, Kerala, and the Himalayan region severely disrupted trucking activity.
Mumbai, 12 August 2026: Truck rentals across key trunk routes remained steady in July, even as global market uncertainty weighed on goods and vehicle demand and uneven monsoon conditions affected freight movement. Poor rainfall impacted agricultural freight movement, while flooding in parts of Gujarat, Kerala and the Himalayan region caused localised disruptions to trucking activity. Against this backdrop, the industry is looking towards the festive season as a critical demand driver for the logistics sector.
On a month-on-month basis, rental trends were largely stable across key trunk routes. Bengaluru–Mumbai–Bengaluru and Kolkata–Guwahati–Kolkata recorded increases of around 2.1% and 1.9%, respectively. Delhi–Hyderabad–Delhi and Mumbai–Kolkata–Mumbai each rose by around 1%, while Delhi–Chennai–Delhi and Delhi–Bengaluru–Delhi registered marginal increases of around 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively. Delhi–Mumbai–Delhi, Delhi–Kolkata–Delhi, Bengaluru–Kolkata–Bengaluru and Guwahati–Mumbai–Guwahati remained unchanged, while Mumbai–Chennai–Mumbai saw a marginal decline of around 0.6%.
On a year-on-year basis, rentals remained higher across all the key routes tracked. Delhi–Kolkata–Delhi recorded growth of around 15%, followed by Bengaluru–Mumbai–Bengaluru at approximately 11% and Kolkata–Guwahati–Kolkata at about 9%. Delhi–Mumbai–Delhi and Mumbai–Chennai–Mumbai grew by around 8% and 7%, respectively.
Vehicle sales trends remained mixed in July. Agricultural tractor sales rose by around 14% month-on-month, while goods carrier sales increased by approximately 8% and earth-moving equipment sales were up by around 6%. Three-wheeler goods vehicles and construction equipment vehicles each rose by about 3%. Maxi cab sales increased by around 17%.
On a year-on-year basis, vehicle sales recorded growth across categories. Three-wheeler goods vehicles grew by around 47%, earth-moving equipment by approximately 35%, maxi cabs by around 34%, and agricultural tractors by approximately 31%. Goods carrier sales were higher by around 29%, motorcycles/scooters by approximately 28%, and motor cars by around 20%.
Electric vehicle sales continued to record strong growth in July. E-two-wheeler sales increased by around 7% month-on-month, while e-three-wheeler sales rose by approximately 16%. Electric motor car sales were marginally lower by around 1% month-on-month. On a year-on-year basis, electric motor car sales grew by around 148%, e-two-wheeler sales by approximately 114%, and e-three-wheeler sales by around 97%.
Commenting on the trends, *Sudarshan Holla, Joint Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Commercial Vehicles, Shriram Finance, said* , “Freight rates across key trunk routes remained largely unchanged, indicating a stable operating environment for transporters. Looking ahead, the festive season will be a critical demand driver for the logistics sector. Current expectations point to rentals holding at existing levels, although a section of the industry believes a stronger festive cargo cycle could lead to a modest increase in truck rentals.”
Fuel consumption and FASTag data reflected mixed mobility trends in July. Petrol consumption increased by around 1% month-on-month, while diesel consumption declined by around 6%. On a year-on-year basis, petrol and diesel consumption were higher by around 8.6% and 9.4%, respectively. Higher year-on-year diesel consumption coincided with increased reliance on diesel pump sets amid water shortages in areas affected by poor monsoon rains.
FASTag collections declined by around 4% in volume and approximately 1% in value month-on-month. On a year-on-year basis, collection volumes were lower by around 6%, while collection value increased by approximately 7%.
