November Class 8 Truck Sales Jump 16.6%

Manufacturers Say Production Levels Remain Strong

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.S. sales of Class 8 trucks jumped 16.6% in November as truck buyers took delivery in a market where freight rates remained strong and truck production showed no signs of letting up, manufacturers said.

While most truck makers said purchases were prompted by the continued strength of the economy, at least one analyst said pre-buying before new federal environmental regulations raise the prices of 2007 models was a factor in the current sales strength.

“Freight is as good as it has been in a long, long time,” said Mark Lampert, senior vice president of sales at Freightliner LLC, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG. “The things that drive trucking are doing very well. We don’t see anything on the horizon to change that as we get into next year.”

Sales hit 20,753 vehicles last month, Ward’s Communications reported.

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