June Class 8 sales better than 2007, ends 18-month skid
Freightliner’s June sales surged 51.1 percent compared to the year before, and gained 12.4 percent compared to May, the best improvements in the Class 8 field. Pictured, the Freightliner Cascadia.
The Trucker Staff
7/14/2008
For the first time since December 2006, new heavy-duty truck sales improved last month compared to the same month a year before. Unfortunately for the truck makers, that’s not much of a comparison.
According to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, June Class 8 sales totaled 11,637 trucks in the United States, compared to 10,632 in June 2007, an increase of 9.5 percent.
And any gain is better than the alternative — especially given the severity of the fall off from the 2005-2006 record run. April 2007 kicked off a string of 10 consecutive months which averaged a decline of more than 50 percent compared to the year before. Still, the June total trails the approximately 13,000 trucks sold in June 2001 and 2002, during the previous Class 8 downturn.
For the year so far, the industry has sold 65,268 trucks, trailing 2007’s six-month total (87,275 trucks) by 25.2 percent. The present Class 8 sales pace could threaten the dismal 12-month total of 139,576 set in 2001.
Compared to May (11,400 trucks), sales are better by 2.1 percent.
In a closer look at the most recent Ward’s data, Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner held on to the top spot in June on the sale of 3,093 units, as Navistar’s International brand remained in second place with 2,305 trucks sold.
Freightliner’s June sales surged 51.1 percent compared to the year before, and gained 12.4 percent compared to May, the best improvements in the Class 8 field. While International’s total improved 18.5 percent compared to 2007, its sales trailed May’s mark by 14.2 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.
Half way through 2008, Freightliner’s year-to-date market share is 25. 1 percent (16,406 units sold), and International’s is 22.7 percent (14,847 units). The sales pie also shows Peterbilt with a 12.9 percent slice (8,398 units), followed by PACCAR sibling Kenworth (12.5 percent, 8,141 units) and Volvo (10.9 percent, 7,112 units).
A year ago, Freightliner’s market share was 29.2 percent, meaning a shrinkage of 286 basis points in its slice. International is the big gainer, improving 478 basis points, while Volvo has gained 101 basis points.
For additional discussion of Class 8 industry trends, see the August 1-14 print edition of The Trucker.
| Year/year |
June '07 |
June '08 |
% chg. |
| Freightliner |
2,047 |
3,093 |
51.1% |
| Sterling |
916 |
720 |
-21.4% |
| Mack |
1,037 |
1,192 |
14.9% |
|