By Jarrett Harris — Iron Advisor Insights
Tariff policy is significantly changing the math of rental fleet management. That’s the biggest takeaway following conversations with leading executives representing several hundred rental branches. Policy announcements are generating uncertainty, and although that is weighing on demand to some extent, demand seems fairly stable for the time being as uncertainty favors rentals vs. purchases. What’s more striking than the direct impact of tariff policy on near-term demand is the extent to which assumptions around operating costs are changing and how rapidly fleet behavior is shifting regarding equipment acquisitions.