Class 8 Truck Sales Fell By 27% in January

Retail sales of Class 8 trucks were down 27.3% in January compared with the same month in 2001 as demand for trucking services remained flat amid a weak economy.

“The Feb. 25 issue of Transport Topics incorrectly reported that sales were down 44.2%.

January saw 8,259 heavy-duty trucks sold, compared with 11,358 in January 2001 and 16,539 in January 2000.

Eight of the nine truck brands posted lower sales in January than in the same month a year ago.

Freightliner LLC, the industry leader with 34.8% market share last month, recorded a sales decline of 15.7% for January 2002. The Portland, Ore.-based company sold 2,878 trucks, compared with 3,417 in January 2001.

Freightliner’s Sterling unit also posted a decline in sales, dropping 39.4% last month. In January, Ohio-based Sterling sold 557 trucks, compared with 919 in the same month a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Western Star, also headquartered in Willoughby, Ohio, saw sales rise 70.6% last month. Western sold 174 trucks in January 2002 as against 102 in January 2001.

Volvo Trucks North America experienced the biggest decline in January, with sales dropping 54.6%. The Greensboro, N.C.-based manufacturer moved 511 units in January compared with 1,125 in January 2001.

Kirkland, Wash.-based Kenworth sold 800 trucks in January, 25% fewer than the 1,066 units moved in the same month a year ago.

Volvo’s sister company, Mack Trucks of Allentown, Pa., moved 624 units last month and 854 in January 2001.

i>This story appears in the March 11 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.