The top 15 access equipment rental companies in the ACCESS50 2014 list.

Access International's list of the world's top 50 biggest powered access equipment rental companies has included telehandlers for the first time.

Access editor Euan Youdale tells Forkliftaction.com News that the magazine decided to include telehandlers in the ACCESS50 list this year because the publication covers the product type. "It is often a complementary tool in access equipment providers' fleets and, of course, can be adapted to lifting people with the use of a basket attachment."

Youdale says the telehandler market is growing in North America due to the machines' versatility.

"North American rental companies have the highest proportion of telehandlers in their fleets, compared to those in other parts of the world. This is partly because they are so common in construction in North America, whereas agriculture is the main buyer of telehandlers in Europe.

Euan Youdale

"However, the popularity of telehandlers is growing in Europe, and we felt now was the time to start tracking their growth and popularity in access equipment fleets there and across the world."

According to the list, US-based United Rentals and Sunbelt have the largest telehandler fleets, taking first and second place, respectively. While US companies comprise the majority of the Top 15 telehandler fleets, European companies do feature on the list.

European rental equipment firm Loxam is third-placed with its fleet of 4,500 telehandlers. Some companies with large aerial work platform (AWP) fleets have few or no telehandlers; in particular, those based in Japan. Nikken Corp is fifth on the list but has no telehandlers. Other Asian companies like Singapore-based Galmon and South Korea-based newcomer AJ Networks have thousands in their AWP fleet but no telehandlers.

The full table was published in the July/August 2014 issue of Access International. It can also be downloaded from the KHL website.