Already negative in March (with -12.3% for industrial vehicles and -36.7% for trailers and semi-trailers), registrations in Italy also suffered in April, the month in which 905  vehicle registration documents were issued to new lorries (-61.7% compared to April 2019) and 581  vehicle registration documents for new trailers and semi-trailers with a GVW in excess of 3500 kg (-70.7%).
 
Even looking at the first four months as a whole, the figures confirm the sector’s difficulties: ANFIA observes 6,294 vehicle registration documents for new lorries, 26% down on the January-April period in 2019, and 3,492 vehicle registration documents for new heavy trailers and semi-trailers (-47% compared to January-April 2019).
The Covid-19 effect has in part also influenced registrations according to geography: in fact for lorry sales, during the first four months, the decline was more pronounced in the north-west (-39%) and the north-east (-32%), while in the central and southern regions the decrease was more contained (-12%).
 
Looking at trailers, in the first four months of 2020, foreign brands lose 54% of the market, while domestic brands contain the loss at 36%.
 
A complex situation, which must be contextualised in a more global scenario, both geographically and economically.

In fact, the difficult situation is not confined solely to Italy. ANFIA cites the latest overall data collected by ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, on 11 May, which refers to a loss of production of 2.4 million vehicles (all types) in the EU (including the UK) - of which more than 159,000 were in Italy - due to the closure of the European production systems for an average of 29 working days (41 in Italy).
 
The lock-down has, in fact, also put the industrial vehicle production chain to the test, which only resumed full operation on 4 May, with the reopening of the dealerships and sales networks throughout the national territory and the restarting of the activities at the provincial authorities for motor vehicles.
 
It should also be considered that the road haulage companieshave had major difficulties due to variables from outside the sector, such as the sharp contraction in demand and the volumes of goods transported and a fall in the retail trade. Istat has estimated, in fact, that for the month of March compared to February, there have been decreases of 20.5% in value and 21.3% in volume, that have above all affected the sale of non-food goods. A loss that unfortunately may not be quickly reabsorbed by the recovery that is underway after the long lock-down, due to fears and the change in consumers' habits.
 
In this complex framework, in order to sustain the road haulage sector, ANFIA hopes to grant incentive measures for the investments of road haulage companies, and to allocate the resources of the Tax Decree and the 2019 Budget Law. A debate that is animating all the organisations that represent the sector and who will definitely be at the centre of the discussion also at Transpotec Logitec, with the aim of guaranteeing concrete support and facilitating recovery for the market and its professionals.