Class 4-8 Registrations Rise 26%

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ed by a steady surge in demand for Class 8 trucks, registrations of new Class 4-8 vehicles increased about 26% in the first nine months of 2004.

owever, medium-duty truck registrations grew at a significantly slower pace as commercial buyers mainly focused on acquiring new heavy-duty rigs, according to state-by-state data com-piled by R.L. Polk & Co. on the number of new vehicles being registered after purchase.

Polk said registrations of Class 4-8 vehicles rose 30.9% from the same 2003 period in the Northeast, 29.2% in the South, and 27% in the West.

However, registrations grew just 18.8% among a grouping of central states, where the data showed medium-duty demand relatively weaker than in other regions.

Besides the big rigs used in freight hauling, Polk’s Class 8 category includes buses, recreational vehicles and vocational vehicles, as well as specialty registrations, such as antique trucks.

For the full story, see the Dec. 13 edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.