Aerial rental companies continue upswing

The Aerials20 ranking of North America's aerial-owning rental fleets continues to show growth this year. In the year since ALH’s last A20, the top 20 rental companies expanded fleets by 9.17 percent, with a total of 289,982 units represented compared to last year’s 265,615. This year’s figure is up 18.17 percent over 2008’s number of 245,387 units.

Once again, at the top of the Aerials20 is United Rentals. The company saw a 1.27 percent increase in its AWP fleet to bump figures up to 108,700 over last year’s 107,341. United Rentals still dwarfs the A20’s second-place rental company, Sunbelt Rentals, by 59,294 units. Sunbelt had a total estimated figure of 49,406 aerial work platforms in its fleet this year.

Of the top five companies in the Aerials20, only one change occurred: H&E Equipment Services jumped into fifth this year, currently residing in the sixth spot last year. H&E increased its AWP fleet by 26.89 percent this year, bumping last year’s figure from 13,200 units up to 16,750 units.

For the full report, see the September/October issue of Access, Lift & Handlers.