North American telehandler fleets have stabilized over the past 12 months but remain around 10-12 percent smaller than they were two years ago, according to the latest Telehandler30 survey by Access, Lift and Handlers (ALH) magazine.

According to the survey - published in the May/June issue of ALH - most of the big rental companies in North America have completed the fleet reductions and are now stablizing and starting to refresh their equipment.

The total size of the top five and top 10 fleets was almost the same as last year, at 18,690 units and 26,150 units, respectively. These numbers are between 10 and 12 percent lower than the fleet two years earlier in Spring 2009, which was the peak.

This is reflected in the fact that there is no change in the top five positions, with United Rentals the far-and-away number one, not so closely followed by Volvo Rents, Ahern, RSC and Sunbelt.

H&E Equipment, meanwhile, moved up two places to number six by virtue of a 440 unit rise in the size of its telehandler fleet. H&E has recently opened two new locations in Chattanooga, TN and Chesapeake, VA, in response to rental growth the company experienced in late 2010.