Sales of medium and heavy trucks were down 23% for 2007 and 24% for December, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications.
Dealers sold 48,665 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds during the month, down 24% from December 2006 (64,076) but up 26% from November 2007 (38,663).
Compared to November 2007, Class 8 trucks were down 55%, followed by Class 6 at 44%.
For the year of 2007, truck dealers sold 536,989 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds, down 23% from 2006 (694,425). The biggest decline came in Class 8 (47%), followed by Class 6 (23%) and Class 7 (22%).
Brisk sales of light-duty trucks (GVW ratings of 10,000 pounds or less) kept the overall market at a decline of just 6% in December 2007 compared to December 2006, with Class 3 up 38%. For the year, total sales were down 5% (from 9,268,222 to 8,841,902).