Exploring and analyzing data about equipment utilization rates and demand fluctuations can promote better planning and operational efficiency for you and your business.

Johnson Do, VP of Rouse Rental Insights, and Jacob McCarthy, Director of Rouse Appraisals, have compiled the latest market trends for the crane industry – and there’s plenty to unpack in the data. Rouse Services periodically prepares this comprehensive package to help provide valuable insight into current trends and performances on construction equipment.

Physical Utilization
Physical utilization has been on a mild but consistent decline since 2022. This trend is a consequence of increased inventory levels, which built up as supply chain constraints from the COVID-19 pandemic eased. Year-to-date physical utilization for 2025 stands at 55.6%, which is 80 basis points lower than the same period last year. This downward pressure is primarily being driven by a slight softening in demand coupled with a modest increase in supply.

Note: Limited to USA. Physical Utilization is computed from daily fleet snapshots from Rouse participants, calculated as “Average Daily Cost on Rent” divided by “Average Daily Cost in Fleet.”

Used Sales Volume | Auction | Large Mobile & Rough-Terrain Cranes

The total volume of mobile cranes sold via auction channels through Q3 2025 is down 44% year over year, indicating a normalization of sales volumes from highs seen in 2023/24. This decline is evident across both larger mobile cranes (All Terrain/Crawler) and rough-terrain cranes.

Note: Data is aggregated across publicly reported auction sales.

Inflation Index | New Equipment

New-cost inflation has shown a moderate increase year over year when compared to prior years for cranes. This contrasts with other heavy equipment types where inflation has been flat and, in some cases, even declined. Continued increases in new costs – perhaps further accelerated by tariffs – should ultimately support used crane prices.

Note: Inflation is derived via analysis of model year to model year purchase cost of proprietary asset data collected by Rouse.

Diving into these periodic data sets will help you better understand the lifecycle of your cranes – and other pieces of your fleet – and ultimately promote greater efficiency and long-term revenue.

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