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.

Interested in understanding the true value of your fleet?

Looking to get a 360 view of your rental business?

At bauma 2025, Ritchie Bros. will be showcasing our offerings as leaders in equipment market intelligence. Rouse Services, which provides complete end-to-end asset management, equipment valuations, and rental business performance benchmarking dashboards; and SmartEquip, an innovative technology that simplifies parts commerce for our partners and their customers while improving operational efficiency and customer experience with their procurement platform.

Ritchie Bros. will be at Stand B5.402, chatting with attendees and providing demos of our asset insights, products, and transaction solutions for companies in the construction sector looking to better understand equipment lifecycle management.

What is Rouse Services?

Rouse provides fleet appraisals, used machinery sales values, and rental company commercial insights for customers throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Since 2000, Rouse has been building a legacy of deep expertise, unrivaled data precision, and unparalleled customer service. Dedicated to delivering timely equipment valuation metrics with accuracy and reliability, Rouse helps companies across the globe manage and efficiently disperse their equipment. With products such as Rouse Fleet Manager, Rouse Equipment Insights, Rouse Rental Insights and more, Rouse redefines the standards and service for appraisals, sales and marketing, and analytics.

The Rouse mission has always been to deliver accurate, actionable industry insights to help equipment owners make informed decisions about pricing strategies and fleet deployment. Rouse Rental Insights (formerly Rouse Analytics) was working with five companies in 2011, and today that has grown to over 400 across the globe. The industry data Rouse receives via these companies is then analyzed and transformed to deliver meaningful insights that help equipment owners and hire companies make decisions on which assets to purchase when, and how to deploy them, as well as to understand their sales performance.

How does Rouse gather and use data?

One of Rouse’s primary areas of focus is showing customers how to make their own data intelligible and actionable.

Rouse Rental Insights allows companies to measure their own performance against self-determined pricing and utilization strategies. By testing and learning from their own pricing and fleet management efforts, customers can optimize fleet decisions, clearly define the focus and performance of sales representatives, and better understand market supply and demand

A couple elements of data gathering and analysis that cannot be overlooked – and which Rouse takes very seriously – is compliance, accuracy, and trust. Rouse intakes, cleanses, standardizes, aggregates, anonymizes and transforms data so that no single participant is identifiable in the Rental Insights product, and a minimum number of contributors in a market and asset class are needed before any rental metrics will be released. In short, metrics are based on anonymized participant data that are aggregated, weight-adjusted and time-lagged.

Why do fleet owners use Rouse Services?

Rouse provides a powerful suite of solutions to help equipment owners better manage the lifecycle of their equipment to make intelligent business decisions every day:

• Planning & Deployment – Rouse Fleet Manager is a self-serve platform that centralizes fleet operations into a single, accessible place. Equipment owners can store photos, upload files and purchase orders, as well see basic equipment insights to help plan or sell machinery when it’s time to dispose.
• Utilization – Rouse Rental Insights provides equipment hire companies with aggregated, weight-adjusted and time-lagged industry benchmarks including metrics around sales performance in their local market to help support independent and unilateral strategic business decision making.
• Disposition – Rouse Fleet Manager with the Rouse Equipment Insights upgrade gives customers access to precise machine-specific equipment values to help equipment owners buy, sell and plan.

Test drive Rouse’s suite of equipment valuation and analytics products at Ritchie Bros. Stand B5.402. Sign up for free trial of these tools to see how you can make intelligent business decisions for your fleet.

Want to make an appointment to chat with us at bauma 2025? Follow the below link.

Market update from Raffi Aharonian, Managing Director of Rouse Appraisals

With the landmark Orlando auction officially in the books—attracting 26,000+ bidders and generating US$213+ million in gross transaction value—it’s a good time to take a step back and see where the market has been and where it might be headed.

Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, we have experienced interesting market dynamics develop, carrying forward to present day where we are driving very strong pricing for consignors, but how did we get here?

Initial Pandemic Response

After the initial shock of global lockdowns in Q1 2020, we saw markets react abruptly with some sharp price reactions. For the equipment industry, the good news is downward pricing moves were short lived, on the back of the essential nature of construction work. Despite that, looming uncertainty caused a lot of disruption in terms of normal fleet replacement cycles. Rental companies, OEM dealers, and contractors deferred or cancelled orders placed earlier in the year, and many began selling equipment to right-size fleets in the event of a prolonged downturn.

Supply Shortfalls

As the demand for equipment continued to pick up throughout the end of 2020 and into 2021, we saw a combination of effects take hold. First, equipment owners sought to add to their fleets, calling on manufacturers for new orders, leaving manufacturers with extended lead times, on account of re-upping their production capacities to meet the sudden, renewed demand. Alongside that, the world saw supply chain disruptions and chip shortages, exacerbating the supply dilemma.

As a result, beginning in Q1 2021, used equipment pricing heated up, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, and eventually surpassing prior-peak levels, reaching a new five-year high. To date, we have not seen any slowdown in price increases for used equipment.

Demand Dynamics

While supply issues are continuing to make headlines across all industries, one of the untold stories of the pricing dynamic rests with the healthy levels of demand observed across the equipment industry. Total construction spend continues to rise, and manufacturers continue to report strong backlogs for equipment.

The demand story is particularly telling, by way of utilization trends across the rental industry, tracked uniquely by Rouse Analytics. In 2021, we observed rental utilization—a measure of demand for equipment out of rental fleets—exceeded levels achieved in 2020 and 2019.  Further to that, YTD 2022 is demonstrating utilization levels that exceed the same time frame for each of the three preceding years. This, on the back of increasing fleet levels, indicates demand for equipment from end users and contractors remains very strong.

Present Day

As we look at the Rouse Value Index for auction pricing above, it’s clear pricing has reached recent highs, driven by a combination of supply challenges and strong buyer demand.

Importantly, as we look at price realization in the annual Orlando auction last month, we see pricing continuing to inflate.

To learn more about Rouse and its services, visit rouseservices.com.

Rental Equipment Register highlights top rental companies of 2020

Rental Equipment Register magazine has released its list of the top 100 equipment rental companies of 2020, including 63 Rouse Services customers.

The 2020 RER 100 totaled $25.6 billion in revenue, making it the second largest year in the list’s history. However, this was down approximately 8.8% from the record US$28 billion reported in 2019.

The top 10 companies listed in the RER 100 make up approximately 74% of the list’s rental revenue, led by United Rentals (~US$7.1 billion), Sunbelt Rentals (~US$5.2 billion), and Herc Rentals (~US$1.5 billion).

Rouse customers featured on RER 100

Rouse has spent decades building its reputation as a trusted partner in the industrial equipment industry. It serves as a central hub for equipment rental data, using industry-leading software to collect and analyze fleet and transactional data. This gives Rouse a deep understanding of where the marketplace is at in terms of secondary market pricing and real-time equipment rental activity.

Rouse equipment values and rental benchmarks are considered the gold standard in the equipment industry. Here’s what some of the RER Top 100 say about Rouse and its services:

8. H & E Equipment Services (~US$662.9 million)

“The services offered by Rouse, and more specifically the data they supply for our equipment rental business, are invaluable to our company,” said Brad Barber, President & CEO, H&E Equipment Services. “Not only do they provide clean, accurate, actionable data in ways our business can use it, they also do so with a sense of urgency and professionalism that is unrivaled.  In my career, I have never worked with a more forward-thinking and pleasant team”

18. Cooper Equipment Rentals (~US$157 million)

“Rouse has provided incredible value in its strategic partnership with the industry,” said Doug Dougherty, CEO of Cooper Equipment Rentals. “The access to aggregated competitive data to benchmark our performance has enabled Cooper Equipment Rentals to maximize opportunities in each of our distinct markets and further support our expansion efforts across Canada.

43. Holt of California (~US$72 million)

“Rouse Services has been a game changer for the rental industry,” said John Johnson, Vice President, Holt of California. “Utilizing their software gives us a lot more knowledge at our fingertips which has enabled us to make better informed decisions to drive profitable revenue growth in rental and used equipment. A professional group of employees dedicated to customer satisfaction with industry leading technology.

62. Berry Companies (~US$48.7 million)

“We have found the Rouse Analytics dashboard to be powerful and intuitive,” said Adam Berry, COO, Berry Companies. “It has unearthed the insights we have needed to navigate the increasingly unpredictable environment. Their team has been knowledgeable and flexible in their approach and we wish we would have come on board sooner.”

All in all, 63 companies on the RER 100 are using and Rouse customers, including 8 of the top 10. To learn more about Rouse and its services, visit rouseservices.com.

For decades, both Rouse Services and Ritchie Bros. have been serving the equipment and truck industries with their respective appraisal businesses. With Rouse joining the Ritchie Bros. family last year, we’ve combined these two appraisal businesses into one team with unrivalled hands-on equipment experience, knowledge, and data.

While Rouse has historically focused on construction, our industry expertise has expanded to transportation, agriculture, cranes, O & G, and more now that we’ve joined Ritchie Bros.

“Our appraisers are armed with the richest dataset anywhere in the industry,” said Raffi Aharonian, Managing Director, Rouse Appraisal Services. “We can also directly connect customers to Ritchie Bros.’ disposition solutions, should they choose to go that route post appraisal.”

Rouse Appraisal Services will offer appraisals and detailed inspections for a wide variety of use cases, including asset based lending, company and contractor driven needs, M&A support, and residual values for leasing institutions.

“Our goal is to help customers through all stages of an asset’s life cycle, whether that be purchase, inspection, appraisal, or sale,” added Mr. Aharonian. “All these services are available through our end-to-end asset management and disposition system: RB Asset Solutions.”

For more details on Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions, visit rbassetsolutions.com.

In December Rouse Services joined Ritchie Bros, a trusted leader in equipment, truck, and other commercial asset disposition solutions. This union will enhance the data analytics and service offerings available, as well as provide more innovative solutions to help Rouse customers run their businesses more efficiently.

Who is Ritchie Bros.?

Like Rouse, Ritchie Bros. has spent decades building its reputation as a trusted partner in the industrial equipment industry. Ritchie Bros. was founded over 60 years ago by Dave Ritchie and his brothers Ken and John. The brothers were running the family’s used furniture store in Kelowna, B.C., Canada, when, in need of cash to repay a bank loan, they held an unreserved auction. When the auction was successful, they began holding them regularly, going on from furniture to industrial and construction equipment and trucks.

From a small-town auctioneer to the largest global auction marketplace, selling over $5 billion of equipment each year, Ritchie Bros. owes its 60-year success to an unwavering belief in doing what’s right for the customer.

What does Ritchie Bros. do?

Ritchie Bros. helps customers buy and sell a wide range of used and unused equipment for construction, mining, transportation, agriculture, oil & gas, lifting & material handling, forestry & other industries. This is done by creating compelling business solutions for the world’s builders to easily and confidently exchange equipment. Ritchie Bros. has moved from being strictly an auction company to a solutions, insights, and services company.

The company’s buying and selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world’s largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple prices and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales.

The company also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. 

How does Rouse joining Ritchie Bros. help customers?

Ritchie Bros. is trusted as the world’s leading global marketplace for used equipment, vehicles, and services. With Rouse as part of the Ritchie Bros. family of solutions, we increase connectivity and deepen our already strong relationships with fleet owners and asset-backed lenders. Together we are stronger and will accomplish even greater things for our customers!

Ritchie Bros. and Rouse are excited to bring these services to its customers around the world, while providing Rouse with the power of Ritchie Bros.’ expanded sales force.

Stay tuned for more news and announcements on product innovation between Ritchie Bros. and Rouse Services.

The corporate ecosystem does not look the same as it did a year ago with thousands of companies and people having to adapt to an online new world. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Rouse was swift to encourage its employees to work remotely. The safety and well-being of the employees is Rouse’s number one priority. Rouse had recently expanded its headquarters in Los Angeles to accommodate its 70 employees, including nearly 55 full-time employees and an offshore group of engineers who support our product development, feature enhancement, and database support– over 130% growth in employee count since 2013 when the Company had approximately only 30 employees. Among the added features to the recent office expansion is a separate space outfitted with technology to support training sessions and team presentations.

Rouse boasts a diverse team that includes professionals from China, Brazil, Russia, and more. The office possesses a startup ambiance, which continually encourages employees to always do their best, think critically, and stay motivated which translates into excellent customer services to Rouse’s clients. This blends together with the longevity of the Company and the strong position within the equipment rental industry to provide customers with industry-leading products founded on knowledge and experience.

This year, Rouse celebrated its 100^th year anniversary. The company started in the auction business in the 1920s and transitioned to the intelligence business in the early 2000’s serving lenders and construction equipment rental companies with appraisal services. Later, Rouse added two lines of services: sales/remarketing tools and rental/utilization benchmark. In late 2020, Rouse announced another big step in its growth: the proposed acquisition from Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, bringing Rouse’s journey as a company to new heights.

Rouse team members demonstrate a curious mindset with a thirst for continual learning and growth opportunities. Rouse’s employees come from many different professional backgrounds, with a good portion coming from financing and consulting companies such as Deloitte and Ernst & Young or cutting-edge companies such as Space X. The majority have graduated from prestigious colleges throughout the world, including California local colleges such as USC and UCLA. What everyone has in common is that Rouse’s clients are always a top priority and customer service is taken very seriously throughout the organization. Rouse is the type of company where you can ring the front desk and speak with someone that can help, if not immediately, very quickly. The customers really appreciate this approach.

The executive team is committed to providing transparency and regular updates about the Company’s growth and future and that motivates the employees to work hard and grow with the Company. Although this year looks a little different, Rouse has a tradition of doing a mid-year business update that usually includes a happy hour and allows time for the employees to socialize while learning about what’s happening behind the scenes. Jacob McCarthy, who’s been with the Company for five years, started as a Senior Analyst and got promoted to a Director role a couple of years ago stated, “Rouse fosters an entrepreneurial spirit across the organization that motivates me each day in and out of the office. This breeds a culture of ownership that cuts across both my own industry knowledge and capabilities and the value that we deliver to our clients. Our team is engaged and always looking to maintain a pulse on the industry and clients that we serve.”

Rouse’s goal is to provide the best service to their client base and all divisions work together to maintain top-notch customer service for all clients regardless of size. One of the product managers from the Rouse Sales solution shared their view: ”working at Rouse Services has been a more rewarding experience than I imagined when I joined. I am continuously empowered to make decisions that meaningfully impact the product in our customers’ hands. I have greatly enjoyed, alongside the rest of our talented team, navigating the challenges posed by our client growth and our plans to upgrade the Rouse Sales technology platform. Every day, I feel like we’ve helped our clients run their businesses a little bit better.”

The ambiance is set where employees are free to be creative and discuss their ideas and thoughts.  “Rouse is a gathering of intelligent, motivated analysts and developers working together to tackle complex problems. Our industry-leading adoption of cutting-edge tools ensures that employees are able to expand their skills while delivering actionable insights to our clients. The human-focused environment provides me and my colleagues with the support and flexibility necessary to maintain Rouse’s dominant position as the gold standard for industry intelligence” says Evan Hilderman, a Senior Analyst, from the Analytics division.

Working for Rouse allows you to be part of a growing company and to work alongside smart and talented individuals while having fun and helping customers in a booming industry. The company hosts happy hours, lunches, team outings, learning & professional development opportunities, and more. Employees can balance careers with their personal lives while staying engaged and working together to achieve success.

Interested in being part of the Rouse Team? Click here to check the current job openings.