June Class 8 Sales Trail Year-Earlier Pace by 0.5%

Sales of heavy-duty Class 8 trucks slipped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, despite indications that many fleets are buying 2002 models at an accelerated rate to avoid the Oct. 1 deadline after which trucks are to have new lower-emission engines.

In May, sales rose 1.4% from a year earlier, for the first increase in year-over-year data since March 2000.

That small gain in May, after orders had been surging, raised questions about manufacturers’ willingness or ability to expand production for a short-term boost in orders when the strength of underlying truck demand remains unclear.

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