It’s no surprise that U.S. sales of new Class 8 trucks were higher in December than November. That’s something that happens every year.
What IS surprising is the month-to-month leap in sales. It’s the first time in the 21st century that December sales were 62.1% higher than in November. The closest was December 2021, when sales were 49.4% better, as the country was coming out of the COVID recession.
December 2025 orders up across the board
In bigger news, North American carriers ordered another 42,684 new Class 8 trucks in December, according to data received from ACT Research. That figure is 16% higher than December 2024, and represents the only month in 2025 that showed a year-over-year gain.
And it wasn’t just new trucks. Used truck sales increased and average prices went up. Even orders for new trailers surged in December.
The Trump administration figured prominently in the statistics.
Buyers had been holding off their purchases, waiting to see the end result tariff increases. The Trump administration announced 50% tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper as well as 25% tariffs on products manufactured in Canada and Mexico. The hubbub created buying delays while potential customers waited for the dust to clear.
Another factor was the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations for 2027 Class 8 trucks. The EPA announced earlier in 2025 that it was “revising” its final ruling on NOx and fuel efficiency standards — but didn’t specify what changes would be made until mid-November.
It’s likely that carriers who had held off on new purchases while extending the life cycle of their current fleets finally received some clarity as the government delayed or excepted new tariffs and the EPA spelled out its new approach.
What is NOT likely, however, that carriers were buying in anticipation of better freight rates going into 2026.
“Despite greater policy clarity, freight demand remains soft, fleet profitability is constrained, and capital spending discipline persists amid rising costs,” explained Dan Moyer, senior analyst for commercial vehicles at FTR Transportation Intelligence. “A more durable recovery in equipment demand will require a sustained improvement in underlying economic and freight market conditions.”
ACT’s Carter Vieth, research analyst, expressed similar sentiments.
“After spending most of 2025 in the doldrums, amid stagnant freight rates and beset by policy and regulatory uncertainty, new vehicle demand jolted awake in December,” Vieth noted, adding that the firm views December results as “overstating the improvement.”
2025 sales of new Class 8 trucks were down from 2024.
According to data received from Omdia, 20,225 new Class 8 trucks were sold in December compared with just 12,479 in November. The strong final month brought the 2025 total to 208,155 trucks sold, more than 32,000 fewer than 2024 for a year-over-year decline of 13.4%.
Used truck sales saw unexpected gains.
“The gain (in used truck sales) was better than expected based on historical seasonality,” said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT.
“Auction sales saw an even bigger jump, expanding 50% above November,” Tam continued. “The preliminary average retail price (same dealer sales) of used Class 8 trucks rose for the first time in five months in December, advancing 8% m/m to $57,135.
ACT reported that the average used truck sold had 5% fewer miles and was 3% younger than in November.
OEM reports
Freightliner, again, captured the largest share of new truck sales in 2025, reporting 73,360 sold for the year. With 35.2% of total new Class 8 sales, the company was by far the biggest seller even if its market share fell from 36% in 2024.
Daimler-owned Freightliner sibling Western Star ended 2025 with a strong sales month, topping sales of a thousand trucks for the fifth time in the year to end up with total sales of 11,496. That number is just 142 trucks short of its 2024 total for a decline of 1.2%. In a market that saw total sales drop by 13.4%, Western Star performed well.
Another OEM that performed well was Mack Truck, which reported sales of 2,207 in December to bring their 2025 total to 18,172. Mack is the only major manufacturer to report an increase in sales for 2025, when sales grew by 9.7%. Mack’s share of the Class 8 market grew by 1.8% to its current 8.7%. The builder’s focus on vocational trucks, used for trash, concrete, dump and other applications, may have played a part in its success as buyers took advantage of funds available through the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending.
Volvo sales went in the other direction for 2025. Reporting sales of 2,213 in December, the company ended the year at 18,872, a decline of 5,527 or 22.7% compared with 2024. The manufacturer’s share of the Class 8 market declined 1.1% to its current 9.1%, despite the introduction of new models for the year. Volvo has been active in developing trucks powered by electricity and alternative fuels and may be trying to get out in front of those technologies as they grow in popularity.
International reported sales of 2,160 for the final month of 2025, ending the year with sales of 22,898, 13.8% down from 2024. The company ended the year at 11% of the new, Class 8 market, right where they left off in the prior year.
Peterbilt’s 2,741 sold in December wasn’t enough to prevent a 16% sales slide for the year. In a market where December is typically the best month of the year, it was Peterbilt’s sixth best. With total 2025 sales of 31,764, the OEM saw its share of the Class 8 market decline by 0.5%, finishing the year at 15.3%.
Kenworth fared a little better, selling 2,838 in December to finish the year at 31,506 for a year over year decline of 14%. Their 15.1% sales share was down 0.1% from 2024.
In the “other” category, tiny Hino reported sales of 98 tractors for the year, all day cabs and mostly used on local or regional routes.
The coming year could see an increase in Class 8 sales if rates continue to improve, but a boom in new truck sales isn’t likely. For 2025, the monthly average of 17,347 trucks was close to the number needed to replace equipment leaving the fleet due to age or damage.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
