A shortage of daily rental vehicles is causing a wide range of problems for businesses affecting everything from maintenance to taking on new starters, the Association of Fleet Professionals is reporting.
James Pestell, AFP Director, said that the issue had been affecting van short term hire for some time but had now started to spread to cars, becoming a common subject of discussion among AFP members.
“The problem is that many daily rental companies defleeted large numbers of vehicles during the pandemic and, because of the semiconductor shortage affecting car and van production, have found difficulty in replacing them. Even when they can get stock, they are having to pay something closer to list price, which has not historically been their business model.
“As a result, fleets have found themselves in a situation where booking rental is very difficult, prices are rising quite quickly and, even if you can get hold of a vehicle, the supplying company will often ask for it back at some point to fulfil other pre-existing bookings.
“This is happening at a time when fleets themselves are in situation where, again because of vehicle production issues, they actually need more cars and vans from rental companies. It is becoming a genuine headache on a daily basis for many operators.”
