Festive Demand Drives Growth in Truck Rentals and Vehicle Sales for October

India’s mobility and logistics activity picked up pace in October, driven by an increase in festive season freight activity and a broad-based spike in retail vehicle sales ahead of Diwali. The data comes from the latest Shriram Mobility Bulletin, which tracks key transport and sales metrics across the country.

Festive demand kept truck rentals strong during the month. The Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi route reported the highest year-on-year increase in truck rentals across all key routes tracked, registering a growth of 13 per cent. Meanwhile, the Bengaluru-Mumbai-Bengaluru route saw a 12 per cent growth. Other major routes, including Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi and Kolkata-Guwahati-Kolkata, reported high single-digit growth. However, the report also highlighted operational challenges, flagging confusion among truck operators entering the National Capital Region (NCR) border due to newly implemented entry bans on BS IV trucks.

Retail vehicle sales showed broad-based month-on-month growth across multiple categories. Two-wheelers recorded the highest growth among vehicle categories, rising 29 per cent month-on-month. Motor car sales increased by 17 per cent, while three-wheeler goods vehicles and agricultural trailers both grew by 20 per cent. Commercial tractors saw a 15 per cent increase, and goods carriers grew by 11 per cent. Conversely, maxi cab sales declined by 11 per cent, and bus sales dropped by 2 per cent.

Infrastructure and construction activity also reflected positive momentum, with construction equipment sales growing 25 per cent month-on-month and 21 per cent year-on-year.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales maintained a strong upward trajectory on an annual basis. Electric car sales more than doubled with a growth of 115 per cent, followed by e-three-wheelers at 93 per cent and e-two-wheelers at 62 per cent. On a month-on-month basis, e-two-wheeler sales rose by 8 per cent and e-three-wheeler sales increased by 5 per cent.

Sudarshan Holla, Joint Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer for Commercial Vehicles at Shriram Finance, noted that festive season dispatches kept truck rentals strong in October and expressed expectations for the momentum to continue through the first fortnight of November.

Accompanying the rise in freight movement, fuel consumption data indicated a sharp increase. Petrol consumption rose by 4 per cent month-on-month, while diesel consumption spiked by 20 per cent, directly reflecting heightened festive freight movement. FASTag collection volumes saw a modest 1 per cent month-on-month increase, while collection values rose by 2.3 per cent. On a year-on-year basis, collection volumes were lower by 6 per cent, but total value increased by 9 per cent.

"The October mobility and retail sales data highlights how seasonal consumer demand directly impacts foundational sectors like logistics, automotive, and fuel consumption. The sharp rise in diesel consumption and sustained truck rental growth on major corridors reflect temporary supply chain acceleration. For businesses operating in supply chain, logistics, and automotive retail, tracking these seasonal indicators is critical for efficient inventory and fleet management during peak consumption periods." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes