Truck rentals hold steady in July as logistics sector eyes festive demand: Shriram Mobility Bulletin

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 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.

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, says Shriram Mobility Bulletin.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 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.Delhi–Hyderabad–Delhi and Mumbai–Kolkata–Mumbai each rose by around 1 per cent, while Delhi–Chennai–Delhi and Delhi–Bengaluru–Delhi registered marginal increases of around 0.9 per cent and 0.4 per cent 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 per cent, says the bulletin.On a year-on-year basis, rentals remained higher across all the key routes tracked. Delhi–Kolkata–Delhi recorded growth of around 15 per cent, followed by Bengaluru–Mumbai–Bengaluru at approximately 11 per cent and Kolkata–Guwahati–Kolkata at about 9 per cent. Delhi–Mumbai–Delhi and Mumbai–Chennai–Mumbai grew by around 8 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, says the bulletin.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.”Published on August 7, 2026