[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Class 8 sales continue year-over-year gains in August
Seasonal trends extend streak of increases to three months
Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Truck North America, captured the largest market share at 35.6%, selling 6,614 trucks. (Freightliner)
Key Takeaways:
- U.S. Class 8 retail truck sales increased 3.9% year over year in August to 18,575 units.
- ACT Research said August sales were slightly better than expected and reflect improving market trends.
- Class 6 sales rose 25.7%, driving a gain in the overall medium-duty truck market.
U.S. Class 8 retail truck sales extended their year-over-year gains in August, buoyed by seasonal momentum and notching a third consecutive month eclipsing prior-year levels.
Omdia Automotive reported that August sales increased 3.9% to 18,575 units from 17,876 a year earlier, continuing a trend that stretches back to June.
However, August sales slipped 3.5% from July’s 19,254 units, and year-to-date sales are down 8.9% to 131,865 units from 144,756 at the same point in 2025.
“They pretty much played right into expectations — maybe, interestingly, a tad bit better,” ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam said of the August numbers. “We typically see about a 4% sequential decline. We saw a little bit less than that this time around — which is encouraging, at least moderately — and it’s good to see the positive year-over-year comp.”
ACT Research forecasts 232,000 U.S. Class 8 sales in 2026, and the latest test figures set an annual pace to within about 5,000 units of that projection.
Tam said the summertime gains suggest the industry is beginning to gain traction.
Image
"It’s good to see the positive year-over-year comp," ACT Research President Steve Tam says of August's Class 8 sales volume. (Act Research)
“We’ve had three decent months of sales,” Tam said. “It is more trend-like in nature. I think it probably has a lot to do with how fleets budget their capital expenditures and acquire equipment. As we approach the end of the year, they’re looking at that Dec. 31 deadline and deciding it’s time to pull the trigger. I think that’s the type of activity we’re starting to see.” Tam expects activity to remain solid through year-end, with most months from here on out posting sequential gains.
Omdia data showed four of the seven major truck manufacturers posted year-over-year sales increases in August.
Breakdown by brand
Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Truck North America, captured the largest market share at 35.6%, selling 6,614 trucks, an increase of 4.2% from 6,347 a year earlier. Fellow DTNA brand Western Star saw sales fall 18.1% to 750 units from 916.
Volvo Trucks North America sales rose 18% to 1,815 units from 1,538, while Volvo Trucks stable mate Mack Trucks saw sales increased 2.7% to 1,545 units from 1,505 a year earlier.
“Class 8 retail market in the U.S. and Canada totaled 20,808 units in August, which was the third consecutive month above 20,000,” said Magnus Koeck, VTNA vice president of strategy, marketing and brand management. “We expect the retail activity to be significantly stronger the next few months to reflect a market that is gradually strengthening.”
Arpan Podduturi of Samsara examines how AI, telematics and onboard cameras are converging to protect drivers and reduce risk. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Koeck said fleets continue executing replacement plans and investing in equipment upgrades. He added that technologies delivering measurable performance improvements are becoming increasingly important as fleets modernize operations.
“The pace of retails continued to improve year over year, though they slowed from July to August,” added Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “Strong freight rates and signs of improving freight activity are resulting in stronger fleet demand for new trucks.”
He added, “Seasonally, July usually sees some month-over-month slowing. However, we expect the retail sales pace to continue to improve year over year as freight demand continues to increase and prebuy activity picks up.”
Traton Group brand International saw sales slip 0.6% to 2,377 units from 2,391. Peterbilt Motors Co. sales increased 2.2% to 2,776 units from 2,716, while Kenworth Truck Co. sales climbed 9.9% to 2,694 units from 2,451.
Class 6 Bolsters Medium-Duty
The U.S. medium-duty truck market continued to benefit from strong Class 6 sales in August.
Combined Classes 4-7 retail sales increased 2.3% to 16,743 units from 16,359 a year earlier. Class 6 was the only segment to post a gain, with sales climbing 25.7% to 6,213 units from 4,944.
Tam said he has long suspected much of the Class 6 strength is being driven by fleets seeking to avoid commercial driver’s license requirements. “From a demand perspective, there is this nagging question about whether we’re seeing a migration to under-CDL-type equipment in certain instances,” Tam said. “It’s not going to solve the capacity problem, but the strength there seems to support that hypothesis. The flip side of that, from a supply-side perspective, is that there are competitive dynamics among OEMs that I think are driving some of the out-sized performance we’re seeing in the Class 6 market.”
The remaining medium-duty segments posted declines in August. Class 7 sales fell 4.7% to 5,099 units from 5,352, Class 5 sales declined 10.6% to 4,378 from 4,896, and Class 4 sales dropped 9.8% to 1,053 from 1,167.
