Medium and heavy trucks continued their selling slide in March, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications.
Dealers sold 50,040 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds during the month, down 26% from March 2006.
Class 8 experienced the biggest decline (38%) after sales of 16,090, compared to 25,895 a year ago. Class 6 was down 31%, with sales of 5,075 compared to 7,408 a year ago.
Through the first three months of 2007, truck dealers sold 138,194 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds, down 17% from the corresponding period of 2006.
Slow sales of light-duty trucks (GVW ratings of 10,000 pounds or less) also contributed to the decline. Retail sales of Class 2 trucks were up 19% from March 2006, but every other class experienced a decline, led by a 28% drop in Class 3.
For the month, overall truck sales were down 4% from a year earlier. For the year, the decline was 2%.