The commercial vehicle market is showing strong signs of recovery as the "tight-supply friction" of previous years begins to ease, according to the Q2 2026 Commercial Vehicle Market Analysis released by Work Truck Solutions.

A significant rotation of higher-mileage fleet trade-ins is driving a surge in transaction velocity and improving inventory turn times across both new and pre-owned segments, the report noted.

Among the highlights:

New inventory stability and improved sales: In the new work truck and van market, pricing has largely stabilized, with the average price hovering at $59,635—a marginal 0.7% increase from the previous quarter. While on-lot inventory per dealer held flat sequentially, sales per dealer rebounded by 8.7% QoQ. This increased demand is most evident in the Days to Turn (DTT), which improved to 172 days, representing an 8.5% sequential decrease. Business owners are moving quickly to secure available units, reflecting robust operational demand despite wider economic pressures, per the report.

Used market: the high-mileage "rotation": The pre-owned market is experiencing a more dramatic shift. Used commercial vehicle prices dropped 3.1% QoQ to $37,494, making them more accessible to buyers and narrowing the year-over-year sales decline. Most notably, the median mileage for used units surged by 30.8% QoQ to 77,507 miles. This spike indicates that fleet managers have been extending the service life of their assets before finally introducing them to the secondary market. Despite this higher mileage, these vehicles are turning over 10% faster than last quarter, with a DTT of just 56 days.

BEV and sector resilience: The battery-electric vehicle (BEV) segment also saw a pricing adjustment, with a 5.9% QoQ drop to $54,141. However, prices remain up 54.5% year-over-year, suggesting a transition toward a more premium product mix.

“While retail sales have been down in the first half of the year due to higher prices and escalated interest rates, the work truck and van market has been a positive offset for dealers, particularly in the second quarter, providing sales growth, better inventory turn times and much better grosses,” said Aaron Johnson, CEO of Work Truck Solutions. “New work truck inventory has stabilized, sales are up and days to turn has seen solid improvement, demonstrating strong operational demand.

“Meanwhile, data from the used commercial vehicle market is revealing numerous factors that point toward fleet managers cycling at a slower pace. Dealers who leverage precise digital merchandising to showcase the value of these highly capable, yet higher-mileage vehicles, will find a very receptive buyer base.”