December bump caps 2018 truck sales boom

Jan. 18, 2019
December retail sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks sales finished the year strong, posting big gains across the board after November's slip.

December retail sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks sales finished the year strong, posting big gains across the board after November's slip, along with 2018 monthly highs in most weight classes, according to figures compiled by Wards Intelligence.

Dealers sold 79,165 trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings above 10,000 pounds last month, up 22% from November. By weight, the totals were 31,037 in Class 3 (+22%); 2,510 in Class 4 (+61%), 8,103 in Class 5 (+32%); 5,913 in Class 6 (+11%); 5,519 in Class 7 (+9%); and 26,083 in Class 8 (+22%).

Compared to sales in December 2017 the totals were up 2%, with Class 8 running 17% ahead of last year. Class 3, the largest market, posted a decrease from a year ago, down 9%.

For the year, medium- and heavy-duty truck sales were up 8% compared with 2017, again led by Class 8 and its 30% improvement. And, again, Class 3 (-5%) has posted the only decline in the YTD total.

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