Impact Handling's investment in new trucks is matched by a flow of two- to three-year-old Cat Lift Trucks being transferred into its short-term hire fleet.

Impact Handling will see over 100 new machines from Cat Lift Trucks added to its short-term hire fleet and is not ruling out more short-term hire orders this year.

Peter Woodhouse, the forklift supplier's business development manager, says short-term hire is one of the fastest-growing areas for Impact Handling and demand is increasing all the time. "Companies need forklifts to load and unload goods being manufactured or transported to market, so the increased demand in short-term rentals is a good barometer of confidence in the UK economy."

The new deliveries of warehouse and counterbalance trucks worth over GBP1.5 million (USD2.4 million) will reduce the average age of Impact Handling's short-term rental assets to four years. The company claims it offers one of the most diverse hire fleets in the industry.

Woodhouse says while short-term hire was traditionally a way for businesses to meet seasonal peaks or provide cover during machine downtime, it is now "an increasingly popular funding method in its own right".

"Some companies see it as an alternative to the industry-standard five-year fixed term - particularly those cautious about long-term commitments in a recovering market," he explains.

Impact Handling's investment in the new trucks is matched by an ongoing flow of ex-demonstrators and two- to three-year-old Cat Lift Trucks being transferred into its short-term hire fleet each year.

"It's as much a part of continuing to modernise as it is ensuring we have the capacity to meet demand," Woodhouse adds.

Impact Handling has over 1,000 short-term hire assets spread across a network of nine branches. Its Hull branch offers the largest stock of materials handling equipment for port operations. The fleet assets range from pallet trucks to 16 T counterbalance machines.