Truck sales surge in December, close out positive 2017

Jan. 13, 2018
Retail sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks spiked in December to finish 2017 on a high note, with all weight classes coming in ahead of 2016’s 12-month total

Retail sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks spiked in December to finish 2017 on a high note, with all weight classes coming in ahead of 2016’s 12-month totals (with the exception of Class 8, the group laggard all year, which finally broke even), according to figures compiled by WardsAuto.

Dealers sold 77,455 trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings above 10,000 pounds last month (+26% over November), with month-to-month gains—some very large—posted across the board: Class 3 (+31%), Class 4 (+64%), Class 5 (+33%), Class 6 (+3%) Class 7 (+5%), and Class 8 (+27%).

For the full year, medium- and heavy-duty truck sales were up 5% compared with 2016. With a 43% surge compared to December 2016, Class 8 came from well behind in the first half to catch up to last year’s total (at least within rounding range to all square); Class 7, which also started slowly in 2017, finished up 3% for the year. The slower heavy-duty market was made up for by 2017’s solid gains in Class 3 (+7%), Class 4 (+31%), Class 5 (+9%), and Class 6 (+4%) trucks.

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