I have worked for Baker forklifts in the 1980's before & after Linde purchased them in the States, BT and Jungheinrich, both in the states with frequent trips to Europe. I was also with Crown for 10 years.

Here are some of the differences I noticed; In Europe I saw many over the road trucks (lorys?) loaded from the sides with either sitdowns (LPG & Electric) or Mast moving Reach trucks. In the states most trucks are loaded from the end using a dock & dock leveler (or dock board) to enter the trailer.

In Germany and other countries they seemed to have an annual (Government) required inspection for certification of service. If the vehicle was not inspected and repaired according to the Technicians recommendation the truck was parked and not used. Heavy fines ensure compliance. We do not have this requirement in the states.

European replacement parts are priced higher than their US counterparts and encourage rotation of the fleet. A new vehicle has low maintenance costs over a year and older vehicle is likely to have a higher cost over a similar year. If you do not rotate your fleet regularly (20% per year) you would run the risk of much higher maintenance cost with an older fleet.

The higher costs are also embraced by the utilization of bushings rather than bearings and preference given to high tech systems in european models not used in the states. Bushings work but require more attention and can be monitored during the yearly European inspections.

Countless innovations have come to the United States after their debut and testing in the European markets. Hall Effect sensors used in steering columns in 1986 in the Linde B30TE after it was already in Europe for several years. AC drive technology first used by Junghenrich in 1996 is just now permeating our market. I realize manufacturers have introduced AC in their lines a few years ago but Jungheinrich has had it now for 16 years!Manufacturers like Crown or Raymond today are not yet 100% AC across their line.

European parts are more likely to be sold as an assembly which requires the end user to pay significantly more for a given repair. I forced the supplier of a valve assembly for the BT reach truck to supply me component parts so that I my US dealers could compete with Raymond and Crown at the time. The excuse was that there were no servicable parts since special tools were required to dis-assemble and re-assemble the valve. I did not take no for an answer and this allowed our technicians to replace a $23.00 check valve instead of an $1,800 valve assembly on their customers vehicles.

Americans tend to ignore their maintenance requirements and expect their vehicles to be tanks, leading to more frequent repairs due to damage or premature wear. European vehicles are considered lighter duty especially after exposed to our abuse. The higher costs for parts makes the bad experience worse for the end user. I believe this may explain why Linde (one of the largest manufacturers) has such a small presence in the US.

To answer your earlier question of why more in Europe than the US; I must admit I don't know for sure but,

I would look at the number of business's per capita, I expect that the US geography promotes larger business players with fewer seats at the table. Third party logistics can also concentrate the demand for lift trucks with one 3PL handling distribution for 3 or 4 clients in the same facility.

I would poll how many Used Truck only distributors are in each country and (do not forget) every new truck distributor will sell you a used truck as well. My guess is that our Used truck market in the States makes up for some of the difference in the New market. Remember our trucks are considered barbaric tanks when compared to their european counterparts.