The Directory for Transportation

1/24/08  
     December's heavy-duty truck sale numbers were very disappointing for the industry, falling to their lowest levels since 2003.  According to WardsAuto.com, which publishes monthly truck sale numbers, sales were nearly 55 percent lower in December, 2007 than they were in December, 2006.

     One of the reasons for the decline in ‘07, they say, is that December 2006 was the highest sales month ever recorded for truck sales. That 2006 sales spurt was aided, in part, because buyers wanted to avoid paying more for new trucks with engines designed to meet new federal emissions standards that were implemented in January 2007.  Another reason for the decline in sales was the sluggish U.S. economy.

     Wards says though December sales were low, there is some good news.  December was the third month in a row that showed a month-to-month increase in sales.

     The number of Class 8 trucks sold in the U.S. last year was 150,965, Wards said, a 46.8 percent decline from the prior year.