In The News
May Class 8 sales slip 5% from April, 2008 total down 30%
For the first time since January, new heavy-duty truck sales retreated last month compared to the month before.
According to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, May Class 8 sales totaled 11,400 trucks in the United States, compared to 11,983 in April, a decline of 4.9 percent.
Compared to May last year (12,154 trucks), sales are down by a relatively slight 6.2 percent — the best showing since the Class 8 sales slide began 17 months ago. April 2007 kicked off a run of 10 consecutive months which averaged a decline of more than 50 percent compared to the year before. The May total is still more than 2,000 units fewer compared to May in 2001 and 2002, during the previous Class 8 downturn.
For the year so far, the industry has sold 53,631 trucks, trailing 2007’s five-month total (76,643 trucks) by 30 percent.
In a closer look at the most recent Ward’s data, Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner brand narrowly held on to the top spot in May on the sale of 2,708 units, as Navistar’s International remained in second place with 2,633 trucks sold.
Freightliner’s May sales, however, were down 17.3 percent compared to April, while International improved 2.3 percent. Volvo was the big gainer, with sales of 1,286 trucks, an increase of 31.3 percent compared to April.
Volvo also posted the largest gain over the year before, up 58.8 percent, while International (13.7 percent) and Freightliner (11.6 percent) also were up compared to May 2007.
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.
Five months into 2008, Freightliner’s year-to-date market share is 24.8percent (13,313 units sold), and International’s is 23.4 percent (12,542 units). The sales pie also shows Peterbilt with a 12.6 percent slice (6,774 units), followed closely by PACCAR sibling Kenworth (12.5 percent, 6,685 units) and Volvo (11.1 percent, 5,975 units).
A year ago, Freightliner’s market share was 29.2 percent, meaning a shrinkage of 439 basis points in its slice. International is the big gainer, improving 546 basis points, while Volvo has gained 115 basis points.
For additional discussion of Class 8 industry trends, see the July 1-14 print edition of The Trucker.