In The News

Class 8 sales fall below 8,000 units, lowest total since

There’s no sugar coating it: Sales of Class 8 trucks in January fell to the lowest level in a long, long time. Suddenly 2008, the worst year for big trucks in decades, is looking good.

According to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, January Class 8 sales totaled 7,374 trucks in the United States, compared to 12,747 the month before, a 42.2 percent slip.

The January number is also 23.2 percent lower than January a year ago (9,600 trucks), and is the first year-over-year decline after seven consecutive months of improvement. The January 2008 total was the only month that didn’t top the 10,000-unit mark last year.

Going back 10 years, the previous worst month was 8,125 trucks sold in February 2003. And in Ward’s data going back to 1985, the January 2009 total was lower than all but three other monthly reports: January 1992 (6,738 trucks), February 1991 (6,977), and February 1986 (7,064). Truck sales in January in 2005, 2006, and 2007 averaged about 18,700 units.

In a brand-by-brand look at the most recent Ward’s data, Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner took the top spot for the month, selling 2,527 trucks. Freightliner was the only make to show improvement over the year before, up 3.7 percent. Navistar’s International brand sold 2,111 trucks in January, down 14 percent from 2008. But International’s slip could be the envy of the other nameplates: Volvo was down 63.4 percent (540 trucks sold) from January of the previous year, with Mack, Volvo Trucks North America’s other offering, down 33.9 percent (360 trucks sold). Kenworth was off by 35.6 percent (654 trucks sold) and Paccar sibling Peterbilt dropped 31.7 percent (741 trucks sold).

Freightliner’s total was 22.5 percent lower compared to the December 2008 mark, while International’s sales fell 26. 1 percent.

Month-to-month numbers, it should be noted, can vary greatly — especially between quarters or from year’s end — depending on an OEM’s sales incentives and reporting procedures.

The market share pie for the month shows Freightliner with a 34.3 percent slice and International with 28.6 percent. Peterbilt was the only other brand with more than a10 percent share — 10.05 percent.

For all of 2008, Freightliner had the market share lead with 25.4 percent, followed byInternational at 24.3 percent.

Kevin Jones of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].