October Truck Sales Jump 27%, Highest Volume Since Aug. '00

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Sales of Class 8 trucks leaped 27% in October from a year earlier as manufacturers continued their furious building pace to meet orders for trucks with engines built before the federally mandated Oct. 1 deadline for lower-emission diesel motors.

Truck makers sold 15,010 tractors in October, according to Ward's Communications. It was the highest volume month since August 2000, when manufacturers sold 16,986 trucks. Last month, sales were 40% above year-ago figures.

Among individual truck makers, Kenworth Truck Co. made the most significant gains, with sales up 123% to 1,800 from 807 last year. That increase is on the heels of Kenworth’s 146% year-over-year sales improvement in September.

For the full story, see the Nov. 18 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.