Europe’s trailer industry was booming when the 2007 version of this report was published. How times change. Now the market has all but collapsed, with many trailer-builders reporting a 90 per cent (yes 90 per cent) plunge in sales in the first half of 2009. Germany, home of Europe’s three biggest trailer-makers (Schmitz Cargobull, Krone and Kögel) suffered a six per cent fall in gross domestic product in 2009. Kögel crashed into administration in July 2009, but the name lives on following the purchase of much of the business by Humbaur, a much smaller German trailer-maker.

The background to all this and much more can be found in The European Truck-Trailer Report 2009, a comprehensive, 250-page publication focused on this sector of the European road transport market.

Topics covered in the 14 chapters include tractive unit manufacturing developments; trailer superstructure and body-manufacturing trends, including temperature-controlled trailers, curtain-siders, containers and vans.

The respected, biennial A4 publication is written and edited by a team of leading European road transport journalists, including Aztec Media’s Tim Blakemore and David Wilcox. It is published by Truck & Bus Builder Reports of Somerset and sells at €675 (£555) per copy including a CD-ROM. Substantial discounts are offered to Commercial Vehicle Engineer subscribers.

More information from Truck & Bus Builder Reports Ltd, PO Box 15,Williton, Taunton, Somerset TA4 4YP. Telephone +44 (0)1984 618707, fax +44 (0)1984 618708, e-mail: reports@truckandbusbuilder.com.