Ryder to boost tractor rental fleet by 10% in Q4

Ryder System is increasing its tractor rental fleet by 10% in the ongoing fourth quarter of 2026 compared with the third quarter as a result of the freight market upturn, executives said. The increase comes after Miami-based Ryder, historically known for its rental and used vehicle sales operations, cut the size of its rental fleet by 30% and began offering more straight trucks than tractors in recent quarters. “We’ve made a pretty significant tractor order already,” Tom Havens, head of Ryder’s Fleet Management Solutions division, told analysts during the company’s Q3 2026 earnings call Oct. 22. Further additions are likely, Havens said, but Ryder is remaining cautious. “Going into 2027, obviously we still have work to do on how much we’ll continue to add to that fleet,” the executive said. The rental fleet expansion began in Q3, added Chief Financial Officer Cristina Gallo-Aquino, noting that Ryder’s 2026 forecast for rental capital expenditures increased to $500 million from $200 million a quarter earlier as a result of the tractor purchases. The average size of Ryder’s commercial rental fleet fell 12% year on year to 29,400 vehicles in the most recent quarter from 33,300 vehicles in Q3 2025. However, utilization rose to 77% from 70%. R Quotes by TradingView See more transportation stock listings “Third-quarter utilization was the highest we’ve seen since 2022, and we expect utilization will remain near this level in the fourth quarter. The market remains in the early stages of a recovery, with conditions continuing to improve,” Ryder CEO John Diez said during the call. “At the end…

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