New Delhi, Dec. 26: The commercial goods transport industry has seen a phenomenal growth in the sale of high-tonnage multi-axle vehicles between April and November this year.

This has resulted in trucks carrying high-density cargo load, which is otherwise transported by the railways.

The segment has registered an 85.35 per cent growth over last year.

This saw a sharp increase in the overall sales of high-tonnage trucks in the 25 to 50-tonne capacity. The manufacturers in this segment include Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, Eicher Motors, Volvo and Asia Motor Works.

According to data available with the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), 90,182 multi-axle vehicles were added on the Indian roads between April and November this year against 48,654 a year ago.

“Load in the high-density heavy cargo segment is normally dominated by the railways. But high truck sales this time has brought about a massive change in the trend,” said S.P Singh, coordinator of IFTRT.

This is perhaps why freight carried by railways between April and November was only 10.6 per cent higher than 2005.

However, it is interesting to note that sales of heavy multi-axle capacity trucks continued to grow despite an 8-10 per cent increase in truck rentals.

Truck rentals went up in June when diesel price was increased by Rs 2 per litre. However, it still has not come down despite a cut in the price by Re 1.

“During the last eight months, neither have the railways revised freight charges upwards and nor have a cut in the diesel price prompted any reduction in truck rentals,” said Singh, adding that 65 per cent of the operating cost of a truck operator is dependent on diesel prices.

Also, besides a double-digit growth witnessed in the manufacturing sector, the IFTRT said road transport registered growth due to curtailment in overloading of goods carriages provisions in the aftermath of a Supreme Court order last year.